For Thanksgiving this year, my husband’s family came over. We had a great meal, lots of good company…but my meal looked a little different. I headed into my Grandpa’s room and ate with him. He’s 94, and we’ve lived with him for the past three years. Recently, he’s declined a lot, and I don’t expect him to be around much longer. It was a privilege to spend a quiet meal with just him.

There have been more beautiful moments recently: we went to the hot springs with cousins, set up Christmas decorations, and did a scavenger hunt that ended with playing hide and seek in a furniture store (highly recommend, but try to find a store without a lot of salesmen). And even some quiet time for walks in the woods. There is a lot of beauty in the world: the wild beauty that we don’t create but is waiting for us if we stop to pay attention.