“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude” Karl Barth

This time of year, we’re bombarded with the concept of thanksgiving. The word can be found everywhere from scripted print on paper plates to decorative wall hangings. As the month of November marches on, grocery stores experience tidal waves of frantic shoppers, carts full of traditional food-fixings including, of course, the loved frozen solid turkey. Home cooks new at the Thanksgiving meal game have a certain terror in their eyes. The promise made to never volunteer to host the holiday again can be detected as if tattooed across a forehead. I speak from experience, some Thanksgivings the thing I’m most thankful for is not what I’m proud to share. My secret gratitude is that: the cooking is done, the meal is over, dishes are done, and everyone has gone home!