A Special Note From Our CEO & Publisher

Grateful Traditions: The Acorn Story

Decades ago, while preparing to host my first big Thanksgiving feast as a new wife, I read somewhere that acorns symbolized gratitude and promise. For some reason, that fact stuck in my mind as I was decorating the table, and without realizing it then, I began what is still both a revered and a ridiculed family tradition.

I decided to put two beautiful acorns from our yard in the middle of the salad plate at each setting, and instead of asking someone to bless the meal before we dined, I asked everyone to share two things they were grateful for that year. The only rule: They couldn’t be cop-outs like “friends and family.” It had to be two specific things from the past year, and as they shared each one, they were to place one of their acorns into a lovely bowl, which we passed around for each to have a turn. The idea was that every time we saw the bowl we would be reminded of our bountiful blessings and the promising year ahead.

Well, as they say, “If only you knew my family…”

That first year, I learned some hungry men who may or may not have had a few cocktails, don’t necessarily relish lingering over tender memories while their much-anticipated heaping platefuls beckon from the table. I’ll never forget my dad once grabbing the bowl and expressing his Texas-sized gratefulness over being last, so we could “finally get to eating.” (He may have used a few more expressive words that I won’t add here.)

As you can imagine, the various bowls have since been filled with countless acorns, representing blessings galore, a few shared tears, and many delightful belly laughs. The truth is, despite all the lamenting eye rolls (“Oh no, Donna’s bringing out the acorns again!”), my family really does treasure the tradition. I know this because my daughter, who won’t be with me on Thanksgiving, recently insisted we do the acorns via FaceTime this year, and immediately afterword, my son changed the name of our WhatsApp “Fam Jam” text group to “Luvs dem acorns.” See, they can’t fool me!

So, in keeping with our family tradition, I’ll share my two acorns with you, dear subscriber:

• I am grateful this year for the countless Texas CEOs, presidents, founders and other leaders who have shared their advice and stories with us, to help with our mission. I hope you have found nuggets of wisdom to help your businesses thrive.
• I am also grateful for our loyal advertisers, without whose support we wouldn’t thrive.

And now, for you, our treasured subscriber, I will bring this to its end, so you can get to eating!

May your Thanksgiving be filled with grateful memories.