Grateful

“There are lots of words meaning thanks.
Some you can whisper.
Others you can only sing….”

~ Mary Oliver, “The Morning Walk”

After finishing up a major recording project last week, Joël and I are taking time to relax, reflect, and count our blessings. We are grateful for so much. For each other. For good health. For you. For the many people who inspire us. For all the musicians more skilled than we are, who make us better by listening or playing with them. For all the thinkers more intelligent than we are, whose words I often share on Facebook, whose ideas make us smarter. For the heroic human beings who risk everything to bring truth to light. For times of great upheaval and great hope. For all these, we are grateful.

We are grateful for our families, grown smaller and smaller over the years as our loved ones have moved on. We often talk fondly of holidays spent with my mom when we would go to her house and grill fajitas and chicken. She would make her perfectly-spiced boiled shrimp and rich, sweet Hello Dolly cookies. Joël would make guacamole, asking my mom to taste as he went along, adjusting ingredients and seasonings. When they agreed it was just right, she would inevitably say, “I think this is the best you’ve ever made. Best ever.”

Every single time, it was the best ever. (See his recipe below.)

She’s been gone for a decade now, but that “best ever” one-liner—rich with affection and remembrance—is still with us. Now when we prepare a dish or share a meal, we frequently joke that it’s the best ever—and it is, because we are relishing the time together, nourished by delicious food prepared with love, savoring each mouthful, savoring each other’s company.

How beautiful to realize that every meal, every moment together is the best ever.

Joël, Mingus, and I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving, full of love and music. May it be the best ever.

We’d love to hear about your best-ever Thanksgiving memories. Share them with us in the comment section below.