Did you happen to see where that year went?  Will you let me know if you did?

It’s Thanksgiving again!  Still my favorite holiday, although the nature of the celebration has changed over the years.  I’m embracing the change by focusing on my gratitude for the wonderful friends I have here in Denver.  Living here for 31 years has given me the opportunity to connect with the most amazing group of people.  I received four Thanksgiving invitations.  Thank you everyone!
You may know where I stand on Tofurky, wine, mashed potatoes and pie. (My pumpkin pie is in the oven as I write. Smells yum.)
This year I’m thinking about cranberries.  I was talking with a friend yesterday about their holiday plans. She’s an accomplished cook, but she confessed to me that she opens a can of rubbery cranberries and plops them on a plate.  OMG! (as my teens might say.)  That just can’t happen on Thanksgiving!  It won’t improve your cranberries to slice the goop and display it on a tray.
I appreciate that some of you probably like your cranberries this way.  Open your minds, embrace real, natural, fresh.  You’ll never go back.  Take a bag of fresh cranberries.  Dump them in your food processor. Add an orange (I peel most of the orange or it’s bitter.) Add a boatload of sugar.  I usually add about a cup of sugar.  Do it to your taste.  Blend.  Drain excess liquid. Refrigerate.  Presto!  Easy, fresh tasty cranberry relish.
Not to discount the benefits of pigging out on Thanksgiving, but I’d also like to focus on another element of this uniquely American holiday.  Gratitude.
It’s tradition on this day to speak at the dinner table about what you’re thankful for.  The past two years have taught me a lot about gratitude, how to look for it, where to find it and how to keep it front and center every day.  Not just today.
Thank you!

• My four Thanksgiving invitations.  I just had to choose, no way I could eat THAT much.
• My really special family. Mom and dad. Brother and sister. Son (the best!) Brother in law.
• My really special colleagues.  I’m lucky to work with the best of the bunch in Denver’s real estate community and for an outstanding company. Thank you all for propping me up over the past two years and giving me the best work environment I could ask for.  I feel lucky every day to go to work!  I also have really special colleagues at our associations in Denver, in Colorado, and nationally.  Wow, do I learn from all of you all the time.
• My dog.  Ok, this will sound really goofy, but he’s “mama’s baby.”  He guards me, protects me, makes me run around the table chasing him when he thinks I need more exercise…  Need I say more?
• Denver.  Yes, I’m thankful for the city I live in.  It’s not a large city and by some standards might even seem a little provincial.  It’s been a really nice place to call home, to raise children and to explore.  There’s a lot going on in our little cow town.  Explore more!

While I’m eating my favorite meal of the year, I’ll add to my list.  This list will remain front and center every day and I hope my gratitude will be evident when you see me next time.
Now, I’d better check with the family whose dinner invitation I accepted and make sure they aren’t opening a can of cranberries.  Somehow, I doubt it.
Gretchen Rosenberg is a very thankful real estate broker in Denver, CO with Kentwood Real Estate in the Cherry Creek office. 2013 has been a whirlwind of recovery, and 2014 should continue to be a great year to jump in and buy, sell, invest.  Click “Property Search” to the right  for a look at some pretty Denver homes.