Thanksgiving Thoughts

It's Saturday morning and I'm (Allison) sitting here thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner we're hosting. Since Abe has to work Friday, we're staying in Chicago and hosting his parents and our brother-in-law (unfortunately his sister can't make it). As I'm mentally thinking through our shopping list, I keep remembering my childhood Thanksgivings--where my family, my aunt and uncle's family, and my great aunt would all gather at my grandparents' house on Thanksgiving day. My grandma would get up at some ridiculous hour of the night to put in the turkey. We would arrive by 10 with our meal to start at 11. My grandpa would say grace and we would all eat--of course, I always sat with my cousins at the kids table. The food would be set up buffet-style with as many dishes as possible--jello salads of all sorts, noodles (my cousins' favorite), macaroni and cheese (just for me), Aunt Sheila's rolls, and, of course, turkey. I loved our sides so much I almost never ate turkey itself. Then we'd all watch football and snack throughout the day on leftovers and my mom's cheese ball.

But even that somewhat idyllic scene hasn't been the same for quite a while. My grandparents moved into a retirement home in 2000. I was away from home for Thanksgiving (my immediate family came to visit) for two years. And, in 2004, both my great aunt and my grandpa passed away.

We've carried on with Thanksgiving at my grandma's retirement home with, basically, the same people. Actually, we've had some new additions--my cousin's husband and my cousins' kids.

I knew our Thanksgiving together would change. It needed to. How many people could fit at that retirement home dinner? I'm excited for this year. Abe and I will get to watch the Chicago and New York City parades snuggled together on our couch. We get to start new traditions.

But the lesson I'm taking away this Thanksgiving is that, like the insurance commercial, life comes at you fast. You get so used to holidays being the same way--the same dishes, the same location, the same people. But you never know when you end one year what the next year will bring. This year, I have all these new people in my life--my in-laws, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, and my wonderful husband. We get to start new traditions. And, be thankful, for the people in our lives and for each holiday we get to spend with them.