Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is always a special time for our family. It is a holiday that celebrates family and friends. Often times the meal becomes the main event, but the real treasure is the gathering of those you love. With the holidays upon us let us remember to give thanks to God for the gift we have in family and the many memorable traditions we hold close.

I would like to share a story with you that our oldest daughter wrote when she was much younger about a memory she will forever carry in her heart concerning Thanksgiving.

“Every year we would all gather for Thanksgiving at my grandparent’s house to share in the festivities. Thanksgiving dinner was always the highlight along with making new memories and reliving the old. Turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes and of course sweet potato casseroles along with cranberry sauce were the traditional must haves at our family meal.

Several years ago, my mom was excited to be having Thanksgiving dinner at our house. All morning she scurried about the kitchen making all the necessary preparations for the day. The house was beautifully decorated with a seasonal theme. A replica of the Mayflower was the center piece for the children’s table. The adult’s table was adorned with muted orange pumpkins and a variety of leaves and flowers arranged to perfection.
The air smelled of spicy pumpkin pie and freshly baked bread. Soon it would be time for our guests to arrive. All that was left to be done was to take the turkey out of the oven to be carved. My mom partially pulled the turkey out of the oven when she left to call my dad to come help. All of sudden we heard the sound of clashing metal. We ran to the kitchen to inspect the disaster that we were sure awaited us. When we arrived at the kitchen doorway, we halted in disbelief. As we surveyed the scene, we beheld our beautiful Thanksgiving turkey lying on the kitchen floor. Turkey juice flowed swiftly through the grouted tile greeting us at the doorway. We thought that our beautifully browned turkey had been ruined. Slowly we attempted to clean up the mess. My dad inspected the turkey and found that it, surprisingly, could be salvaged. My mom was even able to conserve some of the turkey broth remaining in the pan as well. One of our favorite parts of this Thanksgiving dinner hadn’t been ruined after all. We had a good laugh with family and friends that night at dinner; as we retold the events of the day. Needless to say, my family enjoyed a most memorable Thanksgiving Day with gratitude overflowing for God’s gift of His Son and the love of family and friends.”

May every day be a day of Thanksgiving. ~ Rhonda Calabello