Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so grateful today for everyone who’s ever been interested in one of my blog post, articles or social updates. After all, if I didn’t have you, who would I write for?

Every year I compose a Thanksgiving greeting. It’s an honor to share a few thoughts with you today.

Did you know we have Abe Lincoln and Sarah Josepha Hale, a 74-year-old editor of a woman’s magazine, Godey’s Ladys’ Book,  to thank for this national day of Thanksgiving? Before 1863, each state held its own Thanksgiving day.

What are you most thankful for this year?

Top 11 Reasons Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

1. It’s both quiet and noisy.

2. I can cook and cook and cook – or not, depending on who’s hosting.

3. It reminds to realize the phenomenal power of simply thanking others.

4. Decorations can be natural and minimal and they don’t have to light up.

5. Families come together, for better or worse – and always leave better off for having been together.

6. Memories get revived and shared and new stories get added to the collection.

7. It takes forever to do the dishes, which means more time to talk.

8. Warmth fills homes and hearts with traditional almost secret to this family rituals.

9. Teens and college kids must be present – no excuses.

10. Leftovers

11, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

For years, for us, it really was over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s farmhouse we go.

We always arrived after dark, driving up the long rock driveway after hours on the road. More often than not, we carried in sleepy bundled up kids.

On Thanksgiving morning we’d walk in the barnyard with Grandpa Tony. If we were lucky, and we usually were, his pet wild turkeys would follow us from the pigpen to the hen house to the cattle yard to the horse in the barn and back to the playhouse in the side yard.

Thanksgiving was small, intimate and devoted to two things: food and football.

This year, we’ll be with our extended family at my sister’s house. She’s cooking. I’m not. It’s her turn to host. I get Christmas this year.

We’ll eat too much. Laugh more. And wonder how so many years went by so fast.

My newsletter got this message last night. What they didn’t get was this image and this story.

I bought this statue at a resale shop in town for $5.

I liked his rugged hominess. And, I needed something besides flowers and candles to spark up my Thanksgiving table. So, I grabbed this guy.

He reminded the kids of the movie “The Indian and The Cupboard.” They liked to move the last fish on his line. What would happen if he did come to life? After Thanksgiving I moved him to a bookshelf and forgot about him.

Until teacher conferences the next year. “It was so nice of you to let your son bring in your statue,” his teacher said. “He told the class how expensive he was. You know, because you got him downtown at Marshall Field’s.”

“Statue?” I asked. “Which one did he bring in?”

“On the one with the brave holding the corn and the fish. I hope you don’t mind that we let the kids pass it around.” she said as she winked at me.

“Of course not, I’m glad the class enjoyed him.” I said as I smiled back.

In this image, he looks almost happy and directly into the camera. In reality, he’s very serious.

When I was think about an image for this post, this one seemed to fit.

Here’s wishing you and yours a blessed, bountiful and beautiful Thanksgiving!

“You’ve got to go create a ripple.”

Those words came to me as our youngest son and I tromped around the woods. Early in the evening or late in the afternoon, depending on how you measured it, we were doing what we do best: an adventurous young man now, once a boy, coaxing a mom to overcome her trepidation to explore nature and life without boundaries. Where would he lead me if I said . . .

“I need a ripple for this picture,” I commented as I peered out over an impossibly calm and steady lake.

“Well, then we will need a really big rock,” he said and scampered off in search of a small boulder.

“Wait!” I yelled.

But once he’s on a mission, there’s no getting him to come back or change course. Into the woods he disappeared while I waited, but only for a moment.

Seeing the the sun would set soon I needed to hike somewhere more familiar. The park wasn’t that big, but I wanted to know where our car was.

Climbing up a ridge, I was thankful that the trees hadn’t filled in so much that my view was completely blocked, but it was screened enough so that I couldn’t spot him. Maybe he was back at the car.

And then triumph sounded, “I can make a ripple! I’ll wait for you.”

Where was he?

I’d forgotten about the waterfall that runs over the dam. Of course that would be a good place to step out over the stream. And that’s where I found him.

“Ready Mom? This one’s for you!”

Luckily I had my camera ready to capture this moment.

Thanks to Tim Sanders, author of “Today We Are Rich,” and Timberland for the inspiration.

How about you? What kind of rock will you use to create your ripple?

Did you do this, too?

I’ll admit it. I sent out a flurry of “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings” hybrid-type announcements: news, wishes and an invitation to a social media event.

No sales stuff, but not too much tinsel and sparkle either.

After I let the boys open a box from a friend tonight [ who ALWAYS wraps EVERYTHING] and found that nothing was wrapped, I was a bit deflated. Yes, it’s a theme gift. Yes, I’ll love it – I think, I made them stop unpacking after two items.

Christmas, holiday, seasonal or greetings can kind of be like that: you know what’s in the box before you open it.

So, I decided to wish you, instead, eggnog, rumballs and Rudolph. All three things you can only eat, drink or drive during the holidays.

Eggnog mentions got the most attention for me in the social holiday season.

In early November, a Facebook update about eggnog set off a heated discussion about when to start celebrating Christmas. In early December, I sent out a message about super strong coffee with eggnog creamer and whipped cream. People loved it – the status or eggnog? Here’s a recipe I found to share.

Chocolate Eggnog Recipe

Chocolate Eggnog Ingredients
8 eggs
3 cups chocolate milk
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1 cup Kahlua liqueur (or delicious, freshly brewed strong coffee)
1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup brown sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
¾ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
pinch cinnamon, ground (as garnish)
pinch chocolate, grated (as garnish)

In a large saucepan over a medium heat, pour the milk and chocolate milk.
Heat the milks, but DO NOT BOIL.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar until they are well combined and of a reasonably thick consistency.
When the milk mixture is hot (but not boiling!), add approximately half of it to the bowl containing the beaten eggs and brown sugar.
Whisk well.
Pour all of the egg, sugar & milk mixture back into the large saucepan.
Reduce heat to low.
Slowly and gently, add in the Kahlua liqueur/ coffee, and then the cream.
Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened enough to be able to coat the back of a spoon.
Remember not to ever allow the mixture to boil.
Remove the eggnog from the low heat.
Stir in the dark rum, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (at least 3 hours).
To serve, ladle the eggnog into individual glasses, and garnish with a little grated chocolate or ground cinnamon.

Serves: 8.

Rumball Recipes
Note: I have not tested any of these. I don’t have my aunt’s recipe handy right now or I’d also share it with you. Making Hungarian nut roll is also a Christmas tradition for the Rozgonyi family.

Gingerbread hazlenut rum balls from The Washington Post

Emeril Lagasse Rum Balls from The Food Network

Chocolate Walnut Rum Balls from Epicurious.com

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

A Christmas classic since 1964, this movie is one our family’s favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMlqn_Hjyi8

The Shopping Tradition

Every family has one, don’t they?

Our family’s shopping tradition requires an annual trip to visit Macy’s [2009 State Street photo album], formerly Marshall Fields, on State Street in Chicago. Why?

When I was eight years old, my aunts brought me to Chicago from Danville on the train. I got to go again when I was 15. Chicago was so beautiful at Christmas that I wanted to be downtown for at least a day every year.

At Macy’s, each of one of our three picks out an ornament. This year the boys decided to choose one together: a large Asian ornament with a tassel. I got an owl – too much Hootsuite? Our daughter chose an rocking horse that needed to be repaired, which she did as soon as she got home. My husband got a moose. We’ve only had dinner at The Walnut Room once. After we made a wish, The Blue Fairy sprinkled every one of us with sparkle dust.

What are you wishing for in 2010?

That’s the question I got from another mom – also with three kids and also the owner of a creative agency.

We know each well other from in-town connection points, but we hadn’t “met” on the internet until a few weeks ago.

She wanted to know how I’d been able to accomplish so much online.

Let me stop right here and tell you: this is not a self-promotion post. [I will share the same “secret” with you: many, many small actions add up over time, in my case going all the way back 1996.]

Rather, it’s kind of a self-reflection on making sacrifices/tradeoffs and setting priorities in life – and in business.

And, it’s also a kind of apology to my readers. I didn’t realize I had taken so much time off from regular posting until I looked at my LinkedIn profile and saw “last post 8 days ago” a few days back and resolved to write all the posts that are stacked up right them, right there.

But, I didn’t write a single one.

Instead, I directed my attention to serving clients, writing presentations, answering questions, promoting SMC Chicago’s July event, uploading images and getting two sons ready to take off on their big summer adventures. It’s the last assignment that got the least amount of attention and time.

On Friday, we were shopping up until the very last minute for work gear, socks, swim trunks [he went with the one with the Cubs logo, which means his sister will not be seen with him on the beach], snacks, toiletries [he loves this word] and magazines. It’s the kind of trip I know by heart: this is his third mission trip and our fifth year sending kids off. But, this time it had to get tucked into the last in line spot. Too many deadlines kept me from being able to break away.

I had to convince my son that the grocery store was where we would consolidate purchases. He wanted to go to Walgreens and Trader Joe’s because that was his tradition. There wasn’t enough time for that. As I waited at the checkout line for all of the groceries to go through, he wandered away.

“How’s your day going?” the bagger asked. At first I didn’t hear her. So she asked again.

“Okay,” I said as I watched the collection of toiletries, snack, magazines, Foster Grants and bandanas roll by. “My son leaves for a mission trip tomorrow,” I said.

At that point, my 6’ 3” tall son came back to stand beside me. When he walked up, the checker and the bagger asked about his trip. Hearing him share his excitement and commitment to serving, with two strangers, made me realize that no matter how much time we had to get ready, this was the moment that brought us together.

Today, his mission work starts and tomorrow our youngest son gets home from a singing tour in England. 

Back to the question: How do you do it all?

I might ask the same question of many of my friends.

Being able to balance creativity, work, family, community, volunteer work, free time and everything else in life requires a delicate and daily balancing act. Even so, here are . . . 

12 Ways to Do it All: Balancing Business, Life and Branding for Entrepreneurs

1. Change “Doing it All” to “Doing What’s Important”

2. Dedicate time only to what really matters

3. Look for magic in the moment, not so much the epic adventure

4. Talk to people you love and honor your relationship

5. Make time for people you like and let them know you like them

6. Stay close to home and focus on what you know

7. Invest in existing relationships first before you go out and look for new ones

8. Tell people why and how they fit into your life and understand how you fit into theirs

9. Aim high and follow leaders who have success paths you’d like to follow

10. Stay in touch and stay committed

11.

12.

How about you – how do you do it all do what’s most important? 

Image: two brothers, Morton Arboretum, Mother’s Day 2009

Last night I watched “And in the end,” the final episode of “ER.”

When the show first came out, I watched it religiously. It was more relevant to my life then.

Why? My work revolved around hospitals, home health care, residency programs, organ and bone marrow transplants, and heart disease. My business really took off when I contacted every Chicago health care organization communications contact and asked them if they would like to receive my quarterly newsletter.

Business crossed over into real life.

In the midst of a project to train pharmaceutical reps on how to sell a cardiovascular drug, my father become seriously ill with congestive heart failure. When I got to the hospital and started asking questions, the medical team wanted to know if I was a cardiologist. To borrow a line from one of my writing friends, I said, “I don’t do heart surgery, but I write about it.”

Drama, hope and trauma – three things that go together in the medical world.

That’s why watching”ER” was so important to me. The show reflected my world and I wanted to be part of it. But, I quit watching it when my client mix changed.

Today, we don’t have any health care clients in our mix. That chapter closed about ten years ago. Then, retail opened followed by non-profit and government. Now, I’m moving in more of a pure leadership strategy direction while managing teams to write and produce projects.

Do I miss medical marketing? I miss hearing [and telling] the stories about what really goes on in real life – especially from a home health care perspective, but that’s what I grew up with. Every Sunday my two aunts would talk about our town’s medical events of the week: one managed a floor at our local hospital and the other commanded the control room/reception area for one of the busiest doctor’s office in town.

Watching the show last night was nostalgic. I thought about how “ER” was filming at the same hotel where I hosted a sold-out web writing conference for writers in 2002. I never saw the actors that day, but I did mention the show in the conference introduction.

Today, I’m still writing on the web and thinking about watching the last “ER” episode online one more time.

Where were you then and what do you need to be watching now?