Paper Hearts

I don’t have a pinterest.

I didn’t iron my tablecloths.

The roses I got from Sprouts are kind of ratchet. Yeah, ratchet roses…

I didn’t buy napkin rings, I made them.

Name cards are cut paper bags with names written on them.

Because that’s how I roll.

Speaking of rolls, I ate two bags of King’s Hawaiian Rolls since Monday, so we are out of rolls.

But a little magic happened today when I was putting together the kids table. I went to their craft bin and grabbed out a little heart-shaped hole punch. I started punching little heart-shaped holes in a big paper bag. Hole punching is rather soothing, but heart-shaped hole punching is healing.

I just kept punching little paper hearts until the receptacle was full.

Full of little brown paper sack heart-shapes.

Then I began sprinkling those little hearts all around the table. Because I like to sprinkle things and because I think confetti in the shape of brown paper bag hearts is just the cutest.

It’s funny how this kind of stuff works. Sprinkling paper hearts on my table reminded me that life doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be bought. It doesn’t have to look like someone else’s table or someone else’s life or someone else’s body or someone else’s family (I still do this and I don’t know why).

We have what we have. We are who we are and we are exactly where we need to be.

If you don’t like what that is, be patient.

Allow yourself to open up those spaces that have been closed for so long and invite those little paper hearts in. Allow the little paper hearts to remind you that we don’t have to be all grown up and important all the time.

We can remind ourselves that a paper bag might just be the best way to see the simplicity in life and the simplicity in love.

Thanksgiving isn’t about food or tables, it’s about gratitude. If we start there, we find our way into contentment, peace, happiness and we open up a place to serve others.

When today is over, I will have yelled more than I would have like to. I will have worried more than I should and I will most likely wish I had done one or two things differently.

But I know myself and so when everyone is back in their houses and my kids are asleep and I am sweeping up the last of the paper hearts, I will probably pause and hold that little paper heart in my hand and remember to keep it simple.

Happy Thanksgiving from my little paper heart to yours.