This week was Thanksgiving week. I found myself going through the motions yet one more year. Thanksgiving means turkeys and mashed potatoes. . . we have a familiar list of food that I must prepare. Some years the kids like helping, and on others they are are too busy with teenage pursuits. This was one of those alone-time Thanksgivings for me in the kitchen.
I start working towards a Thanksgiving meal several days in advance.
When my husband and I brought our house, well close to 25 years ago, the previous owner ran off with the stove – literally! So after some last minute negotiations we ended up with a fabulous antique enameled gas stove with a vintage nearly matching our centenarian home.
Sounds great, right?! Only one hitch – the oven is not functional. So we purchased a tabletop convection oven (I call it our ‘easy-bake’). The downside is you can barely fit a turkey in it, much less anything else.
We thought we would purchase a new stove, or get our oven fixed one day. And then the kids came along.
So I must lay out a strategy for Thanksgiving each year. Once I have the planning done it is easy, just time -consuming. And lots and lots of dish washing!
A strange thing happened this year, though.
By the end of the evening, as I was doing dishes, I realized that this Thanksgiving has not been a drudgery. It was a joy. I had re-discovered the meaning of Thanksgiving. I served my family and gave them the gift of my love and care in the form of a special dinner.
This year, though, I realized that preparing Thanksgiving for my family isn’t about the work. It is about the love and care that I am putting into a special meal just for them.
It is my way of Giving Thanks to my children and my forever-love husband, and my Creator for giving me this opportunity.
And for that, I am Thankful!
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How was your Thanksgiving this year?
