A Cam Jansen Thanksgiving

No, Cam is not a relative of mine. Cam Jansen is an amazing sleuth who has a photographic memory. When I was little, I read her books and wanted to be like her. She would look at a scene, close her eyes, go click with her memory, and save the photograph in her head. Then, she would be able to solve all these really cool mysteries, like the one of the "Missing Cookie" or of the "UFO".

The reason for a Cam Jansen Thanksgiving? Peter and I were taking pictures with my Dad's digital camera and there was a "sim" card error which resulted in losing all of the 50+ Thanksgiving shots I had taken throughout the day. To say the least, I was pretty upset. But, as we know, pictures are only pictures, and sometimes it's best to "remember" a special day in our head rather than on special paper. So, I decided to make a click like Cam into my own memory. Ok, so maybe a bit cheesy, but hey! Sometimes you do what you have to do.

I will remember my 21st birthday as not only being on the national day of giving thanks, but also because I got to share it with two other incredible women whose birthdays were also that week. As we each got to open a gift from my Grandma at the same time, it struck me that the three of us all have 2 things in common.

First, we share a passion for writing and books. My great-Aunt Maggie has been writing for years and is an aspiring author who has taught me much about what good writing really looks like. Louise Stark is a lady who has spent the holidays with my Mom's side of the family for over 15 years. She was my uncle's childhood librarian who passed on a love for reading to him. It was neat to think that whether words are merely on sheets of paper, or bound together and placed on shelves, we all have been affected by them in our 21 years, seventy-something years, or even 80+ years.

Secondly, we are all beneficiaries of my Grandma's generosity and thoughtful gift-giving. My great-Aunt Maggie loves leather jackets, so she received a brand new one that she will enjoy when she rides on the back of her son's motorcycle. Mrs. Stark, who is elderly and often in much pain, received a cozy, fleece wrap that will keep her warm and comfortable at her assisted living home. And I received a check from my Grandma that went towards getting my hair cut and highlighted. But the best part was not opening my gift; when these two women opened their gifts and my Grandma's smile revealed her delight in being the giver of these gifts, I quickly realized it was time to click something into my memory. The ooohhhs and ahhhs of Mrs. Stark, and the powerful silent smile of my Aunt Maggie, revealed to me that God has given my Grandma a gift of extending His love to others. Through her generosity, God's generosity is displayed; through her thoughtfulness, God's specific care for each individual can be considered. I thought to myself, How can I learn from my Grandma's example and be more like her in this new year of my life?

Thus, I decided that though I won't have 50 pictures of Thanksgiving day or even a few of my 21st birthday, this 1 mental picture is worth more than all of them. Even technological errors are sometimes a blessing in disguise, so if your camera or phone or computer or blackberry or iPod happens to break in the next few weeks, take a second to realize that there may be a really cool thing to learn in the midst of the inconvenience.