Thanksgiving

I love Christmas for many reasons on many levels.  I also love Thanksgiving and one of the biggest reasons is that it doesn't come with the commercialism of Christmas.  It comes wrapped in family gathered around a table, giving thanks for all the blessings received throughout the year.  I imagine the early days of this holiday and whether it really began with a group of pilgrims and Native Americans, doesn't really matter to me.  The evolution of the holiday into a day of thanksgiving is what matters to me.  I do imagine that "first" one though with the plentiful harvest of food.  Wild game that the men hunted, the many crops harvested and lovingly prepared by the women. I still see that picture from a history book of a table as long as the eye can see with women and men and children of all ages and a table filled.  I think the image of people of different colors and places of birth coming together is one of the things I love.  It is a reminder of peace without borders for me and sharing what we have. 

Personally, I love the day that is filled with the smell that only Thanksgiving brings into our kitchen.  The pumpkin and apple pies, the cranberry sauce, the turkey and stuffing.  It is all stored in our memory banks and when we smell these things, we know it is Thanksgiving.  It is a day for families and friends to gather to give thanks for all, but mostly for me, it is a time to give thanks for my family coming together.  It is laughter about childhood stories told...often times I find something out that I didn't know before about some shenanigan one or all of them was a part of.  I remind myself that we survived it and laugh about it.  Laughing more at myself about the survival and grateful I didn't know then.  Feelings of gratitude that we are a family that gathers in laughter and fun, rather than arguing like many do.  I find that all hard to understand, but I hear from many that these holidays are days filled with anger and resentment, rather than laughter and love.  How grateful I am that ours is filled with love and gratitude.

Extra gratitude this year as we welcomed one new member to our table.  Augustus Oliver Russell celebrated his very first Thanksgiving this year.  Albeit, in my arms in a rocking chair as the rest of the family ate. I enjoyed rocking him and listening to the family chatter. Once he was asleep, I joined them.  What a blessing to welcome him.  We are truly blessed. 

What I miss most about Thanksgiving is Tara.  We never get to celebrate this day with her.  She is always far across the seas.  Somehow, we coordinate time zones and get a Skype call in and do our best to celebrate via technology.  She gets hungry hearing about all the food and tells us about her attempt to create a Thanksgiving meal wherever she is.  This year it was a chicken in the crock pot.  The Pilgrims might not have had such modern conveniences, but I am sure the sense of thanksgiving was there as they ate that chicken and memories of Thanksgivings before filled the air.  I am sure they told Sojo stories of childhood and young adult Thanksgivings before they began their lives as "global nomads".  We put their family picture on our table with us to remind us of the blessing they are in our lives.

And so it is...2012 Thanksgiving is behind us and we begin our journey toward Christmas when we will all be together around our table.  It will be ham instead of turkey, but the flavor of the gathering will be the same...gratitude for the gift of family being together.

 

Where's my turkey?

 

 

Whether near or far, we are always together...in body or in spirit we give thanks.