24 Nov Our tradition is in the Thanks, not the turkey

Think Thanksgiving, think turkey.
Today we celebrate Thanksgiving – but we’ll serve fish.

It’s our Thanksgiving tradition

Come with me on a journey.  This was the view from our Thanksgiving table the first time we were not surrounded by our extended family and our friends – and when we did not have a turkey. It was just our tiny family.

We were not even one month into our social experiment.  We had left our home a few weeks earlier to travel around the world for a year with our young children.  It would be the experience of a lifetime!  But that Thanksgiving Day was one of the first where we felt a pang of homesickness.

We sat by the seashore enjoying “a delicious meal of fried fish, fresh from the sea, with a delicious ginger, garlic and pepper sauce, served with a side of ginger shrimp, and drank tender coconut”.  (Thanksgiving in Phuket from our Round-the-World blog)

And we held hands around the table and gave thanks for each other, and for all the people, blessings, and joys in our lives.

We celebrated the warmth we felt by remembering all who loved us, everyone we were missing and who was missing us – because even when we are not in close proximity, we are still joined in gratitude and love.  All while indulging in fresh fish on the beach in Phuket, Thailand, watching a beautiful sunset.

An empty seat at our table

Today there are empty seats at our Thanksgiving table as our children are at university.

And it took me back to the first time our family did not celebrate Thanksgiving in a traditional way.  I was grateful for that great memory and gift of special time spent with our young family, for the memory of friends and family following our journey via our blog, and for the outpouring of concern for our safety during the Tsunami that happened so soon after our meal on Karon beach in Phuket – and our memories and hope for all who had served us our ‘Thanksgiving’ meal, for their families, friends, and livelihoods.

Far from home, but close at heart

Our tradition continues.  I’ll cook fish and gave thanks for all our blessings and remember all who were missing from our table.

And my children?  They call home to chat, order sushi (creative!), eat a thanksgiving meal “together”, and also give thanks.

Because it is not important what we eat, but that we stay connected.  And that we continue to remember those we love, who love us

and to give thanks for nature’s abundance of gifts to us.

K‘}…{‘Arena

I’ve started the conversation.  Now it is over to you! The Arena is your space for discussion:

} .. Do you have a tradition that started with a special memory?  What is it?

} .. What special tips do you have for staying connected when you are not close to loved ones?

INSPIRATION AND MEMORIES FOR THIS BLOG:

• Giving Thanks
• Loi Krathong festival and the paper lanterns