It’s become my favorite holiday--less commercial than Christmas, fewer discordant images than Easter, more meaningful than Halloween. Thanksgiving has remained as simple and straightforward as it was when I was a kid. It’s a time to gather with family, enjoy the bounty of the harvest, and thank God for his blessings.
It’s my favorite season of the year. “Over the river and through the woods,” I sing on my way home from work Wednesday evening, as I cross Ballona Creek and drive up tree-lined Overland Avenue anticipating a leisurely four-day holiday. I love the nip in the air after the heat of summer, the rich fall colors, the pungent aromas, the fogged windows when the heat of cooking meets frosty panes.
It’s a time to focus on the positive--the warmth of relationships, the blessings of life, and the generosity of God. It’s a time to focus on the good in our lives, and to share with those who don’t have as much.
My kids aren’t wild about turkey, but I insist on serving it, if only this one time of year. I love the fact that, even as a young bride, I could stuff the big bird and put it in the oven, basting it occasionally, and it would emerge golden brown and dripping with flavor, looking fit for a magazine display.
I love the side dishes, pungent dressing, golden yams, tangy cranberry sauce, gravy, smooth or with giblets, and spicy pumpkin pie. I even love the leftovers--cold turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey enchiladas.
It’s a distinctly American holiday with distinctly American ingredients. Other parts of the world don’t know what to do with it or lack the ingredients, or maybe they just don’t need it. Maybe they recognize their blessings and are grateful for them without a special day to remind them. But I tend to get preoccupied with the demands of life and ignore God’s wonderful bounty. I need this special reminder, and pray that the sense of Thanksgiving will stay with me through more and more of the year.
In this month's website I talk about the bounty in all our lives and how grateful we should be to God and the people who've blessed our lives. I'm also introducing Willa Myers, a special woman of gratitude who touched me.
I’d love to hear what Thanksgiving means to you. Don’t hesitate to send me an email at b.silvey@sbcglobal.net. |
