THINKING ABOUT THANKSGIVING

It's not really too early to think about Thanksgiving. Scott and I are having our first Thanksgiving celebration at Ingunn's on Sunday.

I've always been someone who can't let traditions go. I'm getting better. I remember the first time I had to ditch out on my favorite family holiday. By this time, I had missed weddings and reunions. I had missed my birthday at home.... but I had never missed Thanksgiving until Thanksgiving 2006 I was in London. I found this email, addressed to Emily while I was over there.

"this day is a different kind of thanksgiving. at home it's all about family, food, warmth, and thanking God for the blessings we have been given. Here...i feel like i have really personalized thanksgiving... and i've put a whole new spin on it. This morning i got up at six to play American football in Hyde Park. It was so strange to pass joggers and strollers, and i looked at these people and just thought, "no one here knows it's thanksgiving!!!" ha ha.. it was weird... like i had some secret delight. so... on the way home i was crunching in leaves (snowless still) and it just felt like Autumn, the kind of Autumn Keats would describe or the kind you would paint if you could perfectly transfer thoughts to paper. And strangely enough... even with dish duty... even with dressing up in a skirt and autumny tops (whereas thanksgiving is usually spent in jeans and a sweater)... it still felt like thanksgiving. Even without cooking. Without chaos. without cousins. It still feels like thanksgiving! (i actually am going to go downstairs and help cook after this email). The American Community living in London was invited to St. Pauls Cathedral for an American Tributary Thanksgiving service. This really fortified my Thanksgiving spin this year. Here i am, listening to Catholic sermons, feeling so compelled to be greatful for the gift of life and all the many blessings i receive without even thanking God for them so much of the time, but i also felt empowered as an American. This Thanksgiving was like a 4th of July! I feel patriotic, proud of my home, and proud that my country was founded on that premise of a belief in God. It all kind of came together again for me today. I'm proud of our country (living outside of it has made me realize that), and i attribute the strength of our country to God as one of our greatest blessings that we should give thanks for at Thanksgiving. It was a little awkward though, to think that we are celebrating a holiday that exists because a huge group of people were divinely inspired by God to leave England and seek out a better life. I felt weird sitting next to a British friend thinking, "i'm celebrating people escaping the corrupt and inhibiting religious institutions that your country imposed upon them." strange... he he"

It's fun to look back on that Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving hasn't been the same ever since that year!!!! In 2007 I drove to Saint George with Kyle, and we had Thanksgiving with the Petersen side. In 2008 I had Thanksgiving with the Hannays in Santa Barbara. And this year we'll be with the Biltons. For someone who has always been such a traditionalist, I'm surprised that I love all the changes! Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday, and it's for the feelings associated with it, not the food or where I eat that food. I think I've come a long way from crying when my mom told me that Santa Claus was going to start leaving presents upstairs instead of downstairs. That was a very big deal to me.