Especially in November

~ rabbitpatchdiary.com

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This day has been nothing short of glorious.  The cold wind and rain have passed and were replaced with warm golden light that lit the trees up.  Today, I saw shades of amber creeping into the landscape.  In a few weeks the lowly sweetgum will be one of the loveliest sights in the countryside.  

I came home yesterday and thankfully the drive was as pleasant as I expected.  I left  in the later afternoon.  Jenny, Lyla and I had a delightful visit with Wills’ mom, Miss Claudia.  We carried a huge basket full of things like fried chicken and candy.  She was especially thrilled with her very own peach cobbler.  Miss Claudia is very partial to peaches.  

I also got to visit with Miss Thelma.  Miss Thelma lives in the riverside village with her husband, Mr. Ellis.  They are both in their nineties.  Mr. Ellis is a  decorated hero from World War II and Miss Thelma never lets me forget it.  She remains very proud of his service.  He was the only survivor of a plane crash at Normandy.  Their conversation with one another is so loving, it makes me cry.  Mr. Ellis always says “Isn’t my wife beautiful?”  -and she is.  Miss Thelma said Mr. Ellis was handsome and  she had pictures to prove it.  Miss Thelma writes letters to her nieces and nephews.  Her penmanship is as elegant as any I have seen.  The letters are quite elaborate and look like art.  Miss Thelma attended college on a scholarship for piano and voice.  Eventually, she became a teacher.  Students, she taught forty years ago still keep in touch.  That is some legacy.    She tells me stories about a friend she had for many years, named Edith  and makes me love someone, I never knew. 

On Tuesday, I went back to work.  Tuesday was as beautiful as  Monday.  October was an especially nice time and I will miss it.  Now, it is November and with it comes one of my favorite holidays-Thanksgiving.  The time to gather for the sake of expressing gratitude, together.  As much as I love Christmas, I do not like to rush through Thanksgiving.   Thanksgiving comes suddenly enough.  It is but weeks away and that is hard to believe . Our menu for the dinner has little variation from year to year.  I always ask everyone what they want and they say “what we had last year”  without fail.  Sometimes, there is a new dessert, but Jenny always wants cheesecake and Mama wants cranberries.  They all want the “biscuit stuffing” that Grandmama told me how to make.  Daddy does not like turkey at all, so  I usually have a ham or barbecued chicken as well.  Breakfast is scant, that morning, so we are all especially hungry by noon.  

In some way, November fills me full of hope.  It is the month to recount our blessings, collectively-to remember what is good  -and to consider how we can give back.  At times, “a word fitly  spoken” is needed for someone.  We can extend grace, and we can pray for one another. Even the “shoe string budget “of the rabbit patch affords such beautiful gifts, . . for the heart of the rabbit patch is a storehouse of wealth,  collected from the generosity of others.    I remember that, always . . .but especially in November.

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The beautiful, Miss Thelma

37 thoughts on “Especially in November”

  1. Miss Thelma is beautiful! I am grateful every time I read you accounts of your life. I also love Thanksgiving! We are going through a very sad here time as my sister in law is very ill with cancer I have been keeping a journal so we can remember everything about her. I learned that from you so I am grateful for that. I enjoy that you find some joy in every corner of your life. Peggy

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      1. Sadly I cannot ask her she passed away today she had the most beautiful blue eyes she will make the most beautiful angel in heaven. Peggy

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  4. Awww. This is so sweet. And yes! Especially this year, I’m conscious more of just S-L-O-W-I-N-G down the holidays. I’m wanting to do the Twelve Days of Christmas with my children and seep Christmas cheer a little bit into the new year. It’s always so dreary in the beginning of January. So I’m going to wait longer to put up the Christmas things. How wonderful to be able to listen to stories of bygone days, we have so much to be thankful for. Amy ❤

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  7. You have penned the beauty of Thanksgiving beautifully. Celebrating in your home at the Rabbit patch sounds warm and inviting. We each in our own way will be thankful for many things and people in our lives. I love to linger in the upcoming seasons. Thank you for sharing your diary filled with love.

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  8. OOOOO I do love the picture of Miss Thelma!! And about November and Thanksgiving … this world has gotten so crazy it’s almost as if Thanksgiving is being fazed out. I am seeing Christmas advertisements all ready for crying out loud! I LOVE November and it’s insidious slide into winter and best of all a feast called Thanksgiving. And the answer in this house is always the same … we want what we had last year. Turkey! Beautiful post, Michele. Thank you!! ☺️

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  15. I always knew that Miss Thelma would be beautiful, but I never realised how beautiful, nor that she has such an ethereal glow about her. An incredible Heavenly light which glows around her and comes from within.

    Thank you for sharing this fabulous lady with us, Rabbit. And thanks to Miss Thelma for allowing you to share her. xxx

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  16. I was struck by the beauty of the photograph and description of Miss Thelma and by this sentence: “In some way, November fills me full of hope.” Though I’ve often heard it said that November is the saddest month with autumn dead and winter not begun, but I’ve always disagreed. Like you, I like the quiet, simple spirit of its holidays, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, and see it as a time of mental rest and reflection. So often, you mirror my thoughts. My mom would say that means we’re kindred spirits.

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