Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together, eat and remind themselves what they are thankful for.
For as long as I can remember, my family has spent every Thanksgiving in South Carolina. Even when we lived in Illinois, my mom and I would make the short two-hour flight from Chicago while my dad would make the long 12-hour drive with our dog, Sherman.
My family wakes up early each year before the sunrise to watch the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We love watching all the performances from the Radio City Rockettes, music artists, and musicals with our freshly brewed cups of coffee in hand—no breakfast, of course, because it’s Thanksgiving!
While watching, my mom and grandmother usually start prepping ingredients for our favorite family dishes, such as macaroni and cheese, sweet potato souffle, my great-grandmother’s famous dressing and green bean casserole. My dad and grandfather are usually in charge of the most critical component of any American-style Thanksgiving dinner: the turkey. However, my aunt and I have the most important job, baking desserts.
After hours of cooking and making messes, the family arrives and the meal is ready. My grandfather always has the honor of saying the Blessing before we all eat the fantastic food provided.
It would only be Thanksgiving in Starr, S.C. with my cousins and I taking our John Deer Gator out into the pastures to say a friendly hello to our cows. My younger cousins are always fascinated by the cows and always want to feed them loaves of bread and soft peppermints, which makes me feel like I am helping them see the beautiful creatures God has blessed them with.
Spending every Thanksgiving with my family always reminds me to give thanks to the Lord for blessing me with a loving family that cares and provides for each other. Through this time of gathering and thankfulness, I truly get to see how God has intentionally placed each person present at the big table in our farmhouse in a seat for a reason. That is the beauty of Thanksgiving and why my family’s traditions will always have a special place in my heart.
