By Shannon Williams
Like many families, we are trying to come up with a Thanksgiving plan this year. It is so very hard, I love Thanksgiving and all that goes with it and gathering as a family is one of the best parts of the holiday. Like most families, we have old, young, some in great health and some not so much, and each of those have their own thoughts about how it should be done this year. I just want a 24-hour break from COVID for us all, but my magic wand is out of batteries and those are hard to find LOL! This has been going on so long, that I don’t even think about hugging anyone anymore, but oh do I miss it !! We will all have to look deep within ourselves for the holidays this year. So much of what we may do, and be a part of, has changed. BUT there will still be love and magic but in many different ways.

I was able to take part in one of my favorite holiday outings this past week. I made my annual trip to the Brookwood Community in Brookshire Texas. It was a perfect weather day with cold in the am to remind me it was indeed fall and then sunshine all afternoon. The Brookwood Community is such a special place, what a concept and how well it works. To take young adults who have some sort of disability and provide meaningful activity for them, training them in job skills and needed life skills, not to mention all the beautiful things they make and grow !! Finishing the visit off with lunch at their café is a must! It was and always is just a delightful day trip. The bonus of getting to share the day with my dear friend, Charlotte, was the icing on the cake! If you have not taken the 2-hour drive to visit, put it on a list. The pottery is wonderful and makes great gifts and then they have the greenhouse! I have only been in the fall, but will do my best to go in the spring this year!

That trip is one of the only Christmas events for me this year, but I am looking so forward to the Christmas Market this Saturday and so glad it is outside, so we can shop to our hearts delight! Speaking of shopping, I had a great little shopping day on Saturday, which was unplanned! I wanted to cook something special, just ’cause. I started with fresh shrimp from JB and got to watch the men shucking the oyster fresh from the local waters, then on to the new produce market and oh Wow, plants, herbs and all kinds of produce. I stopped in at the dollar store for unnecessary plastic items! Then off to old faithful, the Big Store to getting baking goods. It was such a fun little trip and I got wonderful items at each stop. One might think there are not places to shop on Crystal Beach, but there is and I love interacting with each vendor and thank them for having a business for us all!

So let’s count being part of Crystal Beach as a blessing this year and look for ways to spread holiday joy in all we do in the next two months.

[Nov-23-2020]