Happy Thanksgiving!

When I was growing up, I remember waking up on Thanksgiving morning to the smell of turkey cooking. My mother always cooked a 25-plus pound bird because we had 15-20 people at our house for dinner. That meant she would get the turkey in the oven at around 5am because we ate around 2pm. We bought the turkey at Gozzi's Turkey Farm where they colored the turkeys' feathers and people came from near and far to watch them strut around in the outside pen. (I know... truly bizarre!) 

I grew up in Connecticut and it was pretty cold by Thanksgiving Day, so my dad would get up and light a fire in the wood stove. By 9am, when I would start watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the house was super warm and cozy and smelled like Thanksgiving! Then people would start arriving around 1pm and organized chaos ensued. These are the good parts of the memories. Unfortunately, as soon alcohol began to be consumed, the gathering would often quickly devolve into an argument or a shouting match.

I used to think that I could never celebrate Thanksgiving any other way. When I started hosting Thanksgiving in my own home, I too invited lots of people, bought a 25-plus pound turkey (not the colored feather kind, though), cooked a million side dishes and watched the Macy's parade. I have some good memories from these gatherings also - but also some not great memories of an unhappy, unhealthy marriage and hidden sadness. 

When Sara was about twelve years old, I decided I wanted to do something different for Thanksgiving. We went to Universal Studios for a few days. Instead of a big turkey dinner, we ate hamburgers and french fries in the theme park and had an awesome day because there was hardly anyone there. This was quite a treat for all of us because we didn't have much money and we were definitely splurging! Six or seven years later, after I got divorced, Sara and I started going out for Thanksgiving dinner to this awesome place in Ft. Lauderdale that had the most amazing buffet with Alaskan King Crab Legs and sushi as well as a traditional turkey dinner. Last year I cooked a big meal for the first time in quite a while and some friends from church joined us. This year, after much debate, we have decided we are going to Mac's Place, where we will eat wings (and maybe turkey) and watch football! 

Tradition is a good thing (sometimes). Breaking out of routines, trying new things and being adventurous is also a good thing! The past may seem really great, like my memories of waking up to the smell of turkey and a warm fire in the wood stove, but often there are things from the past that we also need to let go of, like the alcohol-fueled arguments. When we step out in faith, try something new, break the patterns of our lives, we almost always find new ways to experience God's love. For this opportunity, for new beginnings, I am eternally grateful.

What traditions will you honor for Thanksgiving this year? What new ways of celebrating will you embrace? How will you experience God? And of course, I must ask, for what are you grateful this year?

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

HappyThanksgiving!

-Pastor Madeline

P.S. I just realized as I was writing this, that today is my mother's birthday (Thanksgiving would sometimes fall on her birthday). She would have been 100 today! Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom!