Downsizing your Home is Hard (2)
The True Meaning of Thanksgiving
Last Saturday, out of the blue, our children paid us a surprise visit. They came home to celebrate their Dad’s last round of chemo, a good reason to carry out a master plan I could never have seen coming. They insisted on cooking us dinner and I reluctantly agreed, teaching them to navigate the tiny kitchen, and pulling things out for them to use. I enjoyed my glass of wine and stayed on hand while they entertained me with their cooking. But then we were promptly sent upstairs and told not to come down until called. We complied with no idea of what was about to take place.
This was their first visit to our newly downsized home, a 1300 sq ft bungalow with barely room for a table for two, and I wasn’t prepared to host them.
Downsizing your Home is Hard (Part 1)
When we were called down my eyes were met with a sight that dug down to the deepest part of my heart, an unexpected solution to my dilemma. It was a card table fully set with white tablecloth, poured wine, a candle and four folding chairs. It fit exactly in the barely adequate amount of space we had between the kitchen and living area. I melted. God knew my Mother’s heart and the need we have as women and mothers to provide and prepare a special table for our families. It was important for me to believe I could do this in spite of our circumstances and before Thanksgiving.
I beheld a different kind of beauty that evening: The light in my Daughter’s eyes as she beamed over the brilliance of her idea, the deep satisfaction in having made her Mother shed tears; the grateful countenance of my Husband as he felt celebrated on this occasion; The jewel red tone of the wine all aglow from the center candle; The crazing patterns on the worn dishes; The pride in the posture of my Son as he looked at me with love for having solved my desire to provide a place for our family.
People say it’s not about the stuff. It’s all about being together. But until you are sitting around a humble card table prepared with love, you don’t really understand that. Everything truly important was distilled in that little card table.
I am passionate about telling your stories through beautiful things. But I wouldn’t trade that card table for my Mother’s Vintage Henredon and the finery of all the Thanksgiving tables in the world.
Remember, Thanksgiving is not about the centerpiece, the china, or even the gratitude lists by rote. As much as I love and value photo-worthy tablescapes and gourmet cuisine, it is not about that. Thanksgiving is humbleness in its purest form. It is trading all of our preoccupations with material blessings for the supernatural experiences of love, the communal celebration of the spiritual blessings we are given that transcend all things material and delicate. I pray this story will give you the shift of focus to prepare a most meaningful table this year. Go ahead, employ your hands into creating that gorgeous tablescape, but pour your heart into the people sitting around it. Bring and experience both kinds of beauty to your table this year. Happy Thanksgiving!
At Liz Gabriel Interiors LLC we pride ourselves in taking the things you love the most and using them to create a tailor made aesthetic that reflects you and your unique journey. If you are struggling to envision how you can create beauty and sentiment in a downsized space, reach out to us and we can certainly help. Liz
Upper image credit: The Spruce / Alyssa Vela