Happy Thanksgiving

Hi guys,

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. - Charles Dickens 

I love this time of year. LOVE it. When I was in high school, I started the tradition of naming aloud things I'm thankful for every day in November. Over the past few weeks, my heart has been warmed as I've read friends' notes of gratitude on Facebook. It's hard for me to feel disappointed or discouraged when I'm actively thinking about my blessings. And one of my biggest blessings is being able to share my stories with you. I started watching NASHVILLE this week (which I am quickly becoming obsessed with!) and one of the characters, a songwriter named Scarlett, says, "Who am I to write songs?" I feel that way often about my own writing. Who am I to tell stories? But I can promise you, even as I wrestle with my own insecurities and inadequacies, I always feel grateful for the opportunity I've been given to write and publish my books. 

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving was setting our table for the big feast. My sisters and I spent hours polishing the silver and ironing the tablecloth. We arranged the centerpiece and set the china just so. I can tell you that I still get excited to set the table as an adult. I spent the morning polishing silver and debating color schemes. And I've decided on sunflowers for my centerpiece - I am a sucker for tradition. Maybe I will post a picture when I pull it all together. 

I think my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is the mashed potatoes with gravy. Or the cranberry relish. I love turkey too, but since I have yet to perfect the art of carving the turkey, and I always end up frustrated by the end of it, I would say my feelings toward turkey are more love/hate. Last year I plunged the carving knife into the turkey and cried out, "I give up!" I'll try not to be so melodramatic this year. 

Speaking of food, there is a scene in CRESCENDO that was inspired by one of my childhood Thanksgiving dinners. I was a junior in high school, and my family had invited several families to share Thanksgiving dinner with us. My mom put me in charge of making the rolls. My mom was not a fan of white flour when I was a kid, so I had to use whole wheat flour. If you've ever baked with whole wheat flour, you know that it bakes "heavy" and doesn't rise as well as white flour. I'm also quite certain that the yeast she gave me was expired. The rolls came out of the oven feeling not unlike paperweights! They were flat, heavy, and hard. That in itself would not have been so bad (I've never cared one way or the other about my cooking skills) except that the boy I liked (really liked!) was invited over for dinner. I distinctly remember watching him pick up one of the rolls and toss it in his palm, a look of memorization coming over his face as he marveled that such a little dinner roll could weigh so much. My mom, who knew about my crush, bustled over and said, "Becca made the rolls! Aren't they wonderful?" In some bizarre way, I felt like she was trying to sell him my homemaking skills. In CRESCENDO, Nora feels similarly when Blythe tries to convince Scott of Nora's cooking skills :)

Happy Thanksgiving! 

xo

Becca