Thanksgiving at Home, Away from Home
In between the fun of Halloween and the festivities of Christmas, there exists a fabulous holiday called Thanksgiving. A day to count blessings (but not calories!) and celebrate life with those you love. A holiday where the main event is a grand meal, with lots of time and love invested in every dish.
Thanksgiving has always meant time with family, conversation, games, pictures taken, memories made. But when the traditions are not possible, what sustains the holiday spirit? When we are far from home, how are the memories made and the days remembered? Maybe it would be best to sweep the holiday under the rug, pretend it wasn't peeking around the calendar waiting to be celebrated. Maybe it would be too much effort to make a special meal, and anyway, a normal-sized turkey would NOT fit in this french oven. Maybe it would be best not to talk about the way we usually celebrate Thanksgiving, because that would stir up the sadness in our hearts.
But memories are meant to be enjoyed, even if they cannot be repeated right now. And maybe doing the best we can with what we have here will be enough to provide smiles for another day down the road. Maybe, with a little imagination, the roast chicken can become a glorious roast turkey, and the completely made-from-scratch-first-time-ever pumpkin pie will taste almost as good as Grandma's. And perhaps the distance from home this year has helped us to see in a new way just how thankful we are for all the people and places that mean home to us.
To all our family and friends that are so dear to us, Happy Thanksgiving! You are loved.
Thanksgiving has always meant time with family, conversation, games, pictures taken, memories made. But when the traditions are not possible, what sustains the holiday spirit? When we are far from home, how are the memories made and the days remembered? Maybe it would be best to sweep the holiday under the rug, pretend it wasn't peeking around the calendar waiting to be celebrated. Maybe it would be too much effort to make a special meal, and anyway, a normal-sized turkey would NOT fit in this french oven. Maybe it would be best not to talk about the way we usually celebrate Thanksgiving, because that would stir up the sadness in our hearts.
But memories are meant to be enjoyed, even if they cannot be repeated right now. And maybe doing the best we can with what we have here will be enough to provide smiles for another day down the road. Maybe, with a little imagination, the roast chicken can become a glorious roast turkey, and the completely made-from-scratch-first-time-ever pumpkin pie will taste almost as good as Grandma's. And perhaps the distance from home this year has helped us to see in a new way just how thankful we are for all the people and places that mean home to us.
To all our family and friends that are so dear to us, Happy Thanksgiving! You are loved.
Comments
Sometimes, the best happily-ever-after moments occur when the white horse gallops through mud and the crown on the princess is knocked a little off center.