J.E. Burgoyne

It’s that time of year again, When we all expect to gain, my friend I’m not just talking about the love Or the blessings from above I’m talking now about my waist The inches that I owe to tastes. Each year we expect to gain A pound—five, we usually retain And each year, I like to say “I’m going to have self-control today. No matter the moistness of the turkey Or the sweetness of the pie I will eat the right amount of calories” But it’s a lie. Not on purpose, may I remind It’s the smells the work upon my mind The cranberry sauce and special spice The well-cooked meat, so plump. So nice! Don’t get me started on the yams Or the honey-glazed, sauce-dripping ham!  Creamy gravy flowing on mashed potatoes! And then those buttery, glistening rolls! Pasta salad, fruit salad, what’s that pink stuff? Jello salad, pudding salad. Carrying two plates is rough. That jam’s homemade? I could tell! I can see my tummy swell. Green bean...

It’s the time of year when my Facebook feed is filled with people doing their 30 days of gratitude for November. This year, I haven’t seen as much as I did last or the year before. I still enjoy reading the ones who do. I love it when the small details are recounted. For example, one of my friends once told me that the thing she missed the most about small children, was the pitter-pat of bare feet alongside the rustle of a diaper. It touched my heart. Ever since then, when I’m having a rough day, I take a deep breath and listen for that specific harmony. And I smile every time. I know, first hand, the benefits of cultivating and expressing gratitude. It’s been a matter of personal pondering and study. By that, I don’t just mean personal reflection. The scientific study of the effects of gratitude on someone’s wellbeing has been a topic that is gathering some steam in the past couple years. The findings are not surprising.  Apparently, people who keep gratitude journals report...