This will only be the third Thanksgiving in my short personal history that I haven't spent with my entire family. This year we'll celebrate with friends which will no doubt be lovely, fun for the kids, and local, but I can't help feeling a little sad about missing my family, especially as my grandparents are getting on in years. So much of Thanksgiving's about food, but to me, it's about tradition and gathering with loved ones, and that always happens in my grandparents house.
As a side note: My maternal grandfather co-authored books about America's early history including the Quest for Columbus, Riding with Coronado, and the seasonally timely Pilgrim Courage adapted from a firsthand account by William Bradford, governor of Plymouth Colony. This somehow feels that the roots of this uniquely American holiday aren't that far from us.
My father, always says grace in Spanish. I think that most years he's thanking my Aunt Susie for preparing the meal, maybe apologizing to Native Americans for stealing their land, thanking our President for trying to fix the world, and asking for peace in the world.
I'm grateful for too many things to list. I think it's important to be grateful for even the mundane, and things I take for granted, so this year I'm going to list them all in my head (I'm kind of superstitious, and don't like to even say certain things aloud), but know that I will be thinking of them all day as I stuff my face with deviled eggs and wine.
Here are other's words I enjoyed about being "thankful":
Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.-- Oprah Winfrey
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.-- Buddha
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy
No matter what your tradition, toast, or grace consists of, please have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
P.S. Here's the previously mentioned Deviled Egg recipe:
Ingredients
6 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Smoked Spanish paprika, for garnish
Directions
Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with enough water that there's 1 1/2 inches of water above the eggs. Heat on high until water begins to boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes, then rinse under cold water continuously for 1 minute.
Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to a medium bowl, and placing the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
Evenly disperse heaping teaspoons of the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve.
Enjoy.
