A Thanksgiving to Remember

If you have never spent a Thanksgiving away from your family....then you should. Being apart from the traditions to which you are most familiar puts a different perspective on the meaning of the holiday. On Thanksgiving day this year, the words 'gratitude,' 'thank you', and 'blessed' were on my lips, but never because I was prompted by the obligation of the holiday.

Thanksgiving morning I went to the Convention Center to help serve Thanksgiving dinner to low-income families. There were an absurd number of volunteers, probably more than there were guests, but the atmosphere was wonderful. There were bands playing, and people were dancing. It was, I felt, a true New Orleans moment. Everyone was dancing and singing and laughing and telling stories. Local and state politicians were shaking hands and taking pictures. It was beautiful to see how, not just one family, but probably 200 different families spent their Thanksgiving.

When I got home, my neighbor, Tracy, was sitting on his front porch. He had invited my roommate and me to come over for dinner at their house earlier in the week, but I was too shy to accept his invitation. I knew it was genuine, but I still fell like I would be imposing on them and their family. At noon, I stopped over to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving, and I didn't leave until 5:30...with 5 big plates of food. Tracy and Ava brought me into their home, barely knowing me, but it was the most welcoming Thanksgiving dinner I could have wished for. Their good friend is a chef, so he prepared the meal, and everyone pitched into help somehow. The Thanksgiving toast after the prayer was "Bons temp, ya'll." And we did.

And when dinner was finished across the street, it was time to get ready for my third dinner. My Americorps supervisor invited all the "homeless" Americorps for dinner with her and husband and his homeless law classmates. More fantastic food. Our name cards were gingerbread turkeys with our names written in frosting. I'd never been spent a holiday with friends instead of family, so it felt to me like something out of a movie.

I wish that I could use words to explain the emotions that Thanksgiving brought me this year. More than once with gratitude in my heart, I came near tears. Away from what I always take for granted, my family, my home, friends I have known my whole life, I was reminded that holidays are not merely for spending time with relatives out of obligation. I hope that I never dread my holiday time, and I hope that I am never dreaded. Before I turn into a greeting card, I'm going to stop...But suffice to say, that this will be a Thanksgiving together.

*p.s. I ate so much, that I was in serious digestion pain. Worse than anything I've ever experienced. Apparently, my eating capabilities are out of shape. I better work on this.