In the course of my lifetime I have celebrated Thanksgiving in seven different states from Connecticut in the east, west to Hawaii and on to Virginia as the farthest south. Along with the variety of venues, this day of thanks has been spent with an ever-changing cast of characters, from members of my family to in-laws, good friends to not so close friends who didn’t have anyone to share the day with.
I suppose if you’ve always lived in the same place and have time-honored traditions of going to the same house and celebrating with the same people each year, this might sound strange. You might think that I’ve somehow missed out. I can assure you nothing could be further from the truth.
Although on some years, like this one, we didn’t have actual family members with us on turkey day, we were surrounded by them in spirit. Our table was an altar of remembrance, complete with Dave’s mother’s crystal, my mother’s milk glass salt and pepper shakers as well as the ceramic pilgrims she made for me several years ago. On the wall behind the table you can see some of the family photos that surround us when we sit and share a meal in that room. Even the crazy quilt piece on the wall was framed by my mother as a gift to her mother. So, even though we aren’t actually sitting with family, we are among them.
Joining us this year were newish friends, Bobie and Rusty who, like ourselves, were at loose ends this year. Together we blended our traditions with theirs and celebrated a most wonderful day cooking and eating too much. As we shared our meal, we shared our families as well through stories of holidays gone by. This also draws us closer to our families and each other.
It was a delightful day. Throughout the day I did actually speak to many of my actual family members and texted some of the others, so not all of my family time was nostalgic. And, if I could snap my fingers and bring everyone I love together in one room to share a Thanksgiving meal, that would be incredible. But, since that isn’t a possibility, having the opportunity to spend the day with good friends in remembrance and thanks is about as good as it gets.