Well, it's that time of year again...I can hardly believe it...Thanksgiving!! My family-at-large gathers together to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday, and the calls back and forth to determine who will bring what (one sister in particular who is an awesome cook shoulders the majority of the cooking responsibility...this year in particular, I am more grateful for that on so many levels...Thank you, sister!) have already begun. And with all of that, of course, has come the realization that after months of existing in this lovely non-holiday time frame...well: the holidays are upon us!
Holidays are such a two-edged sword, aren't they? I don't know about you, but for me, it seems to involve a LOT of running around and then a LOT of savoring - both of the memories we're making, and, quite frankly, the food I'm eating! It all begins with the Thanksgiving weekend, thinking of the perfect gift for this or that person; going out and finding said gift (thank goodness for online shopping!) and then making sure that said gift is in the right place at the right time. When I am not running around, it used to be that I would be enjoying the various treats of the season. Beginning with the Thanksgiving holiday and key lime & pumpkin pies, mint brownies, fried turkeys, delicious stuffing and other goodies...moving into yummy goodies that dear friends and family would send us to celebrate the season, from home-made sugar cookies, gingerbread houses, to chocolate covered oreos (OK: I actually sent out the chocolate covered oreos as gifts last year, but I couldn't very well send out something as a gift that I hadn't tried myself, could I?! So I ordered some for us as well...and they were a DELICIOUS gift!)...and let's not forget the home-made egg nog!
This year, it will be different, and I don't think I had quite realized HOW different it was going to be until the other day, when talk in our family turned to who was going to be bringing what or who wanted what to eat over the upcoming holiday. It came upon me suddenly, and surprised me quite thoroughly. The day of the year that is my MOST favorite day of the year has lost a critical component for me: THE FOOD. Don't get me wrong: I fully intend on having a bite of the cornbread dressing that has been a part of our family's Thanksgiving tradition for decades; and I fully intend on having a slice or two of the fried turkey...and I will savor every single morsel!! I might even have a beautifully toasted mini-marshmellow stolen off the top of the sweet potato casserole that my sister makes. But the truth is, the food doesn't MEAN the same to me anymore. I will enjoy my Thanksgiving meal (I'm quite sure of it!), but then, I will go back to my Greek yogurt the following morning and resume my regularly scheduled program! For me, it is JUST A MEAL.
For those of you who have and have maintained healthy eating habits for all of your life, maybe this won't make sense...but it used to be that I would think about the components that make up our Thanksgiving meal for weeks ahead of time...looking forward to that delicious zing of a mint brownie, or the salty goodness that is the skin of the fried turkey! This year, the deliciousness that is Thanksgiving will be found in other places for me: a young niece that gives an unexpected hug; a nephew who pauses to show me the rock he's found; an older niece that sits to have a conversation about her life and what's going on with her; time with a sister who I don't get to see very often; sharing a private joke with another sister who I do see often; seeing my parents interact with my children and all of their grandchildren, spending time with family friends who I wish I could see more of; watching my children soak up the time with their cousins, grandparents and aunts and uncles; marveling at how much what was once a little family of five has grown; and, ultimately, basking in that glow that comes when you know you are in the right place, with the right people, and savoring every minute, because it is the ONLY Thanksgiving 2011 we shall have...there other years, other times together, other jokes...but we shall not pass this way again...
Oh, so much sweeter than any dessert could ever be!!
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