Happy Thanksgiving

We had a glorious day of sailing today with very little rain, a nice amount of wind to sail on the Genoa alone, and a passage through arguably the most beautiful channel we have yet seen with jagged mountains, snow capped peaks, granite domes, and sparkling waterfalls the whole the way. Today's sail lent itself to a bit of Thanksgiving day reflection.

On the top of my mind is my great appreciation for where we are and what we are doing. I feel fortunate to be able to spend these years on Sila in general and I am especially grateful for the time we have had in the Chilean fjords. I feel lucky to enjoy the awe-inspiring landscape here and to do so in our own boat as a family. I am thankful every day that we make it safely from one anchorage to the next without mishap.

I think, though, that being thankful for the opportunity to be on Sila, the safety and health of my family, and the joy in sharing these explorations with each other and with both visiting friends and blog readers is obvious. Today I enjoyed thinking about many other things for which I am profoundly grateful.

I am thankful that as I thought about many of these things, I had tears in my eyes because those tears make me think of my dad and I am thankful for the relationship that I had with him.

I am thankful that my dear friend Ben Capelin is well on the road to recovery after a very serious accident earlier this fall.

In addition to their continued health and growth, I am thankful that Porter and Jack are such great friends to each other.

I am thankful for a crunchy, sweet apple when we can get them.

I am thankful to have amazing friends who work hard to stay in touch via email, even when it is difficult.

I am thankful that Big Jack makes delicious bread, is quick to set a shoreline, and generally that he is part of the Sila crew right now.

I am thankful that Danny O'Brien is the Head of School at HMI and that I do not ever worry about the future of the place that means so much to me.

I am thankful that a couple of people, most notably Colin Speedie and Peter Whatley, encouraged us to sail south to Chile this year instead of waiting another year.

I am thankful for the rain that fills our water tanks.

I am thankful for a good cup of dark roast coffee in the morning.

I am thankful that people read the blog and encourage us to keep writing as the process of reflecting and writing has been good for each of us.

I am thankful that the Sila crew appreciated the bbq chicken pizza for Thanksgiving dinner and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

I am thankful that Christopher forgives my (many) mistakes and loves me anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving! - Molly