Happy Thanksgiving

I feel a need to add to my blog this week after the Ferguson Grand Jury decision came down last night.  Whether you agree or disagree with the decision and/or the process, we can choose to either focus on all that is wrong or use our efforts to make change. Some of you may say that this is easier for me to say as I’m white. I haven't had to experience the prejudice, the racial profiling etc.  True.  I don't pretend to know what it’s like to walk in the shoes of anyone of color.  What I do know and believe is each and every one of us no matter color, ethnicity, religious belief etc. are blessings, add to the beauty of this world, and have contributions to make.  Polly Anna thinking?  I don't care if that’s the perception.  I know that if I spend my time listening to the news and everyone else’s opinions and “take” on the events that have occurred these past months; I feel down, discouraged, and it’s easier to focus on all the negative.  When I listen to talk around solutions, moving forward, we don't have to accept “the norm,” and what actions we can take to make a difference, I feel empowered and ready to move forward. Those choices are my choices.  I choose to make a difference one day, one friend, one situation at a time.

 

“Each year on the fourth Thursday in November, Americans gather for a day of feasting, football and family. While today’s Thanksgiving celebrations would likely be unrecognizable to attendees of the original 1621 harvest meal, it continues to be a day for Americans to come together around the table,” according to History.com. 

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?  Do you have specific traditions that you follow each year?  What about those special recipes?  Do you have special memories of that day?

In 1976, our family and friends were all gathered at my parents’ home not only to celebrate Thanksgiving, but the next day Jon and I were getting married.  We wanted the wedding to be exactly one year to the day we met on our blind date, however, in 1976, that meant it would be on Thanksgiving Day.  Guess what…that doesn't work.  So Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, one year and one day later, became our wedding day.  To also “set the stage” for how we would celebrate Thanksgiving in the future, the Friday after Thanksgiving was always the day Oklahoma and Nebraska went head to head on the football field.  Because of that, the time of our wedding was held at 11:30 in the morning so our reception would be winding down by the time the two teams played.  With Jon working in the CU athletic department, we wanted Oklahoma to win which would mean CU would play in the Orange Bowl.  The end of our reception had moved in front of a TV set to watch Oklahoma win, so now we were also celebrating CU playing in the Orange Bowl for New Years. 

Fast forward to 1994 when CU moved from the Big 8 to the Big 12.  That now meant a CU vs. Nebraska match up on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Over these many years, football has meant we were either celebrating Thanksgiving in our home when the game was in Boulder, or we celebrated on Wednesday as Jon would be in Lincoln with the team.  As Jason and Elsa were older, we traveled to Lincoln, and we all ate our Thanksgiving dinner at the Cornhusker Hotel with other Buff fans.  And, yes, there were also times our anniversary did fall on Thanksgiving Day, so we had a double reason to celebrate.

There were five years, when Jason was a player at CU, that our Thanksgivings took on a whole new “look.”  If the game was here in Boulder, we had many football players and parents filling our home.  It was such a fun time with great food, great fellowship, much laughter, and many wonderful memories. 

Now our Thanksgiving plans vary from year to year.  Our children are married, and they have their own demands to juggle.  Jobs, basketball games, and needing to balance sharing time with in-laws come into play.  I must admit, that that was hard for me at first.  I love being surrounded by my children, grandchildren, family and friends.  Yet, I also had to remember… I was not available to spend time with either my family or Jon’s.  We were having to work around Jon’s job and rarely were available to have a Thanksgiving together with other family members. So now, I relish each time we get together no matter when that may be. 

Whatever your memories, traditions, and circumstances are this year; I am grateful for your friendship, the blessings you bring to my life, and all the memories we have shared.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and to your family this November 27^th, 2014!