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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / lifestyle / friends / {On hosting Thanksgiving.}

{On hosting Thanksgiving.}

November 27, 2012 · 11 Comments
Filed Under: friends, holidays

Zack + I moved to Los Angeles 12 weeks ago.

Twelve.

And in those short {long?} twelve weeks we’ve made huge progress. We pulled into this city with just our Jeep. Yes, it was packed to the roof with “stuff”, but once we found our apartment and unpacked the Jeep, calling what we brought “stuff” suddenly seemed so… unqualified.

What we brought in our Jeep was broken down into this:

  • a tiny collection of Gussy materials
  • a couple of pairs of shoes + only the necessities in clothing
  • a small set of dishes — which translates to 4 sets of silverware, plates + tumblers
  • two favorite coffee mugs
  • a set of bedsheets + a few quilts/pillows
  • tools, a spare tire, extra rope, etc :)

We did mail a few more boxes of Gussy materials, along with some favorite items like lamps + home decor, but we really only traveled to Los Angeles with the necessities. And don’t think I’m some perfect lady for being able to do this. I’ve had my days where all I feel is angry over all we left behind in Minneapolis. We hosted a garage sale before we left, but I can’t tell you the number of items we donated — it was a lot. And sometimes I feel really angry that we don’t have that “stuff” anymore.

But then I think back to our trip to Tanzania. Pretty much all of the houses we saw were made from mud, wood or metal sheeting. Roofs — if they existed, were often unreliable. Beds were made from wadded up plastic bags. Drinking water came from leftover rain water. Home decor was sparse. But Hope + Gratitude, those things were abundant.

Over the past twelve weeks Zack + I have made some serious commitments to this city. No matter how challenging this new city is, we will make it the best it can be. We will find joy, happiness + lots to be thankful for. And then as Thanksgiving neared Zack tossed out the idea of hosting at our apartment. We’ve been so thankful to have friends refer us to other friends living nearby, to help us feel more comfortable in this huge, new city, and we love opening our home up to others. So we didn’t spend too long deciding whether we should invite a handful of friends over — and so invite we did! :)

This was my very first year hosting Thanksgiving, baking a turkey, preparing all the side dishes. I gathered hosting skills from three women I look up to dearly: my mom, Zack’s mom + The Nester. Combining the wisdom from these three ladies helped us to have a perfect Thanksgiving day. Our friends brought dessert with them, and we gathered around the kitchen, the table, our couch, and together we celebrated Thanksgiving with Hope by our sides.

Turns out Hope knows how to cover up fear of being “the new girl” in town — actually, all of our guests were Los Angeles transplants, which I secretly loved ;) Hope is a great thing to have in your home when you’re hosting, turns out. Hope helps you to feel brave. Hope reminds me of truly how much we have, even though all we have takes up so little space.

I know all of these moments feeling angry or sad over what we don’t tangibly have are to be filed under Life Lessons. The things we have in our hearts are more valuable than what we have here on Earth.

These moments have helped me to grow, to see straight to the root of life.

And so this Thanksgiving:

 

These little things of thanks? They are all big things inside my heart.

 

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11 Comments
Filed Under: friends, holidays

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{A trip to the beach…} »

Comments

  1. Amber says

    November 27, 2012 at 11:03 am

    Congratulations on hosting your first Thanksgiving! What a wonderful way to spend the holiday in a new city. So happy to hear you have acclimated and are making lots of new friends!
    I think your honesty and attitude are amazing and can’t wait to read more!

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      November 27, 2012 at 11:27 am

      @Amber, I’m learning it’s better to jump in + be brave than sit back and wonder if we can do it. xx

      Reply
  2. lindsay says

    November 27, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    way to be brave!! and where did you get those yellow and green bowls?? i am in love!!

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      November 27, 2012 at 4:54 pm

      @lindsay, They are from World Market!! :)

      Reply
  3. Jessica says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    My husband and I went through something similar; twice in one year. There was a box of handmade (by me) blankets that was accidentally donated, along with a ton of really great kitchen gear. I felt sick about it until I realized that someone out there who needed them more than I do is using them. Plus I think what you give you get back tenfold. Starting over is liberating and terrifying in equal measure.

    Oh and I wanted to tell you that my first craft fair went amazingly well! Thanks again for your 31 days series. I was so inspired by it I actually named one of my designs after you. Someone asked me this weekend who “Maggie” was and I said “my business mentor.” :-)

    Reply
  4. Juleen Kenney says

    November 27, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    Glad you’ve already made some new friends! I’m curious about the couple sitting on your couch. I have a sneaking suspicion I know who they are!

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      November 27, 2012 at 4:59 pm

      @Juleen Kenney, oh that’s Lauren + Max :)

      Reply
  5. Annie Barnett says

    November 27, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    This opening up your table and inviting new friends and living in gratitude and vulnerability in the simplest of ways is a beautiful thing! Love it.

    Reply
  6. caroline says

    November 28, 2012 at 10:07 am

    this makes me so HAPPY for you! xoxo

    Reply
  7. Crystal S says

    December 11, 2012 at 6:14 am

    How great that you hosted Thanksgiving! So brave, the thought of cooking that much food terrifies me!

    What is crazy, though, is that as I looked at your photos, I recognized Max and his wife sitting on your sofa! I know Max’s mom from Pregnancy Help Center here in Youngstown, OH! What a small world:)

    I hope your Christmas is just as great as your Thanksgiving was and even better:)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 8 DIYS for adding color this Thanksgiving. says:
    November 18, 2013 at 9:45 am

    […] crazy to think just a year ago we hosted Thanksgiving. We had moved to Los Angeles only a couple months before, but we hosted and we had a lovely time. […]

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in northern Michigan. She has been writing online since 2008.
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