At the risk of writing another unnecessary article about the meaning of Thanksgiving, I’d like to share a few words on what I think it’s all about. Yes, Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday of November and it’s generally attributed to the Pilgrims who gave thanks for their bounty after they settled in the New World. It’s also a time for turkeys: real ones–baked, smoked, fried, sliced, and served; or fake ones drawn and cut out by elementary school children. What is Thanksgiving without turkeys, right?

I’d like to reminisce a bit about the Thanksgiving holidays I remember growing up. Thanksgiving was a time for family, and my parents would pile all four of us kids into the car for the four-hour drive to the Texas Hill Country where our maternal grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins lived. It was an exciting adventure going to a much rougher country than we knew–we lived in lush green tree-filled East Texas and they lived in rocky, cactus-dotted, rattlesnake country. My brother loved it. One of my aunts lived at the bottom of a big rocky hill and we four kids with our five cousins would clamber all over it. It’s a wonder no one got snake-bit.

Thanksgiving meant tables overloaded with food and dessert, and the kids were not allowed at the adult table, so we would fill a plate and land wherever we could, usually in the floor, to eat our meal. The food would stay out all day, so it was no wonder we usually caught a “bug” when we got home–sometimes on the way home! Poor Mama. . .

Are you celebrating the holiday with your own traditions? I hope so. Thanksgiving is much different for me and my siblings now. We all have in-laws and some of us have children with their own families. There are no long road trips, and sometimes I don’t even see my kids on Thanksgiving. But it’s not all about getting together with loved ones. It’s supposed to be about giving thanks. I am thankful every day for all the blessings and mercies God bestows upon me. Thanksgiving Day is just a good day to reflect on all those blessings and mercies and enjoy the food, the people, and maybe a game of football.

Happy Thanksgiving.

XOXO