This was yesterday's post - the day before thanksgiving

I wrote this on the car ride down to NJ. Forgot to actually post it up though! :-) ~~~ Traveling to NJ I'm in the car typing as we listen to a book on tape. We're heading down to NJ to have Thanksgiving with family. I got a phone call this morning from someone placing an order and was wondering if we were having a RAW thanksgiving. I replied and said that we'll be going down to NJ this year - I said that I am bringing 2 raw desserts and plan to make a salad and will take Matt's miso dressing with me so that I'll have something to eat. She asked if I would have anything that other family members would bring and I said that I might have some veggies that will be on the table providing there is no cheese or dairy in them. (For me, dairy and cheese doesn't work well - not even raw dairy.) Later I asked what she planning on doing for thanksgiving and she said the same thing although she finds it rather hard to not eat what others have brought... then she feels bad later on... I hope with this thanksgiving, she will feel good about her day and her choices, no matter what they are. A little bit later in the day, I went to the store on our way out of town and I bumped into a person I know from when we homeschooled our son. Anyway, we got into a brief conversation and she mentioned that a year ago she was trying Doug Graham's 80/10/10 diet and was finding it working well with her. Although, she said, she didn't feel that she needed to follow it so religiously and she feels OK to eat things when she's at other people's houses that she might not at home. She called it "receiving a gift" and I totally agree. To me, it's much more important that things are made with love than whether or not they are 100% raw or not. I don't follow a purist's lifestyle and I never have. I do feel like if anything that I'm doing starts to feel like I'm practicing a dogmatic religion, then I'm probably getting too controlling over it. This is a journey of a life to live, and for me the important lesson is to be gentle with myself. If that means to eat some fruit or a juice or smoothie in this day, then great. If it means that someone wants to give me a gift of their homemade bread, for example, than I accept quite willingly. It *IS* a gift like my friend said at the store - a gift that was made with love and good thoughts and intentions for me or my family. Why on earth would I shun the gift and say it's not 100% raw? That's rather shaming to me although I do understand when a person feels so strongly that they are giving themselves a gift by being 100% raw... Anyway, I feel It is akin to a spiritual practice to be able to receive something with love and grace and gratitude. What a wonderful way to end this post as this is the time of year when we think most about our gratefuls. in love and gratitude, Linda