Will you please do me a favor?
Thanksgiving has always been my all time favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness without the pressures that other holidays may bring. Families come together to share thanks and, what I like to call, the best meal of the year. No matter how far away, or how long it's been since you last seen or spoke to each other, you pick up where you left off.
Growing up, and into my young adulthood, I knew that every Thanksgiving at 5:00 pm, my family would be at my maternal grandparents house for dinner. My grandmother would be busy in the kitchen making sure that everything was just right, and of course it always would be. She made the best dressing that I've ever put in my mouth, and would bake a small pan on the side for me to take home. I always ate it cold for breakfast the next day. It was that good!
I'm not painting the perfect "Norman Rockwell" picture because we didn't always get along. But we got along that day, as it was an unspoken rule. Having the family together and seeing us getting along made my grandparents extremely happy. I can remember the smiles on their faces. There was a lot of love in that house!
In the late 80's and during the 90's, I lost most of my childhood family and Thanksgiving's changed forever for me.
After my grandmothers passing, I cooked a few Thanksgiving dinners. However, without the gathering of extended family, it wasn't the same noisy and lively event. Plus, the holiday brought on an immense sadness from missing the family members that we had lost in a short period of time.
In my early 30's, I met and married Tim. Once again, Thanksgiving changed for me. He comes from a large family and the day was split between his grandparents homes. Boy, those were some lively times! Sadly, both sets of his grandparents, his mom, and several uncles have since passed.
Tim and I began cooking Thanksgiving meals together after that and actually enjoyed being busy in the kitchen. I found that my "Turkey Day Food" cooking skills had even improved. However I will never make dressing as good as my grandmother or mother. The meals we prepared were good, but not everyone would show up for various reasons.
For the past several years, my family has met at K&W Cafeterias, as we will this year. We don't cook. We don't argue over whose house, what time, or who's bringing what. We just meet, eat a good (maybe not typical) meal, sit around a table and enjoy each others company. I think this has became our new tradition. Some show up and some don't. Either way, it's good and we're thankful. We're doing simple and we're doing happy.
I ask that this Thanksgiving you take time to look around the table and say a word of thanks for the people you see. In this life, there is no guarantee that any of them will be here next Thanksgiving. Life goes by quickly. Love the family you have. You didn't choose them and they didn't choose you. However, you have them and they have you. You may not always like those people, but those people are yours!
Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours! #relationships #love #self acceptance
Thanksgiving has always been my all time favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness without the pressures that other holidays may bring. Families come together to share thanks and, what I like to call, the best meal of the year. No matter how far away, or how long it's been since you last seen or spoke to each other, you pick up where you left off.
Growing up, and into my young adulthood, I knew that every Thanksgiving at 5:00 pm, my family would be at my maternal grandparents house for dinner. My grandmother would be busy in the kitchen making sure that everything was just right, and of course it always would be. She made the best dressing that I've ever put in my mouth, and would bake a small pan on the side for me to take home. I always ate it cold for breakfast the next day. It was that good!
I'm not painting the perfect "Norman Rockwell" picture because we didn't always get along. But we got along that day, as it was an unspoken rule. Having the family together and seeing us getting along made my grandparents extremely happy. I can remember the smiles on their faces. There was a lot of love in that house!
In the late 80's and during the 90's, I lost most of my childhood family and Thanksgiving's changed forever for me.
After my grandmothers passing, I cooked a few Thanksgiving dinners. However, without the gathering of extended family, it wasn't the same noisy and lively event. Plus, the holiday brought on an immense sadness from missing the family members that we had lost in a short period of time.
In my early 30's, I met and married Tim. Once again, Thanksgiving changed for me. He comes from a large family and the day was split between his grandparents homes. Boy, those were some lively times! Sadly, both sets of his grandparents, his mom, and several uncles have since passed.
Tim and I began cooking Thanksgiving meals together after that and actually enjoyed being busy in the kitchen. I found that my "Turkey Day Food" cooking skills had even improved. However I will never make dressing as good as my grandmother or mother. The meals we prepared were good, but not everyone would show up for various reasons.
For the past several years, my family has met at K&W Cafeterias, as we will this year. We don't cook. We don't argue over whose house, what time, or who's bringing what. We just meet, eat a good (maybe not typical) meal, sit around a table and enjoy each others company. I think this has became our new tradition. Some show up and some don't. Either way, it's good and we're thankful. We're doing simple and we're doing happy.
I ask that this Thanksgiving you take time to look around the table and say a word of thanks for the people you see. In this life, there is no guarantee that any of them will be here next Thanksgiving. Life goes by quickly. Love the family you have. You didn't choose them and they didn't choose you. However, you have them and they have you. You may not always like those people, but those people are yours!
Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours! #relationships #love #self acceptance
Thanksgiving 1988, (left to right, my cousin Reid, Jr., my brother Mark who was taken way too young, my deceased grandmother Campbell, and my daughter Heather)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! The holidays are certainly different for everyone for sure. My mother isn't American and we were far away from my Fathers family so for us Thanksgiving was just a fancy meal but nothing like the traditional menu.
ReplyDelete