giving thanks

It was a very nice Thanksgiving around my neck of the woods. This was the first year I did absolutely nothing on actual Thanksgiving Day. All my siblings were out-of-town, including my hubby, so we celebrated on Saturday. Looking back, it was really nice. My mother and I went grocery shopping on Friday and the store was empty--the best kind of grocery shopping there is. I didn't make it to any Black Friday sales, that was nice too. We did go into work for a little on Friday morning and Charlotte was well-behaved for me there too. 


She's quite the party animal!! Loved having all the company over on Saturday. So much, that she wouldn't nap or go to bed on Saturday. I'm hoping she sleeps most of the day today. Although we are off to a bad start with her up at 6:00am with mom, grandma and grandpa.


I got this email from a 'mom friend' today... and how true it is!

Subject: A thought to share

"I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection-the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality "girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin-a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings?-rarely. Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends; we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged--not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking! So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."


We are all thankful for family and children. I want to note that I am especially thankful for the two groups of friends I've developed in the last 20 months through having Charlotte. My mom friends have been a backbone of support for me through this new change in my life. I know I can count on them on so many levels. I've been lucky enough to bounce ideas and thoughts off these women without being judged on my parenting skills. They have taught me so much too.


As the weekend comes to an end, just remember how important friends are in your life, as well as your family and children. Thanks ladies!