I love Thanksgiving, love it! When asked about your favorite holiday, most people answer Christmas, but I am not most people, nope, not even close. And here’s why…
My childhood was a mixed bag of uncertainty, dysfunction, and chaos, but it was also filled with love and joyful memories that my mother created around the holidays. No matter what was going on in her world or in our family, she made sure that we celebrated being thankful. It didn't matter where we celebrated the day; it was always outlined with crafts, food, and laughter.
I lived in eight homes in my first eighteen years of life and I am thankful for each one. Moving often as a child instilled in me that a house in just a house, a home is where the people are.
My favorite Thanksgiving memory was from my senior year in high school. My mother and step-father had just merged families and we were all living under one roof. If you are the product of a merged family, you get that sometimes in the midst of the transition; there is not much to be thankful for. That particular Thanksgiving our newly formed family hosted Thanksgiving. It turned out to be a beautiful celebration with friends and family, many of them weathering the storm of transition with us. As I looked around the table that day, I saw my newly formed family, including step brothers, new aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I saw some of my best friends and my step brother’s friends from high school. I saw the dad of one of my childhood friends who had been uninvited to his family celebration. In the hearts of all that surrounded our table was a level of confusion, pain, and loneliness, but I also saw joy, hope, and thankfulness. We were a very unconventional, but thankful group!
I remember singing, dancing and witnessing what it looked like to invite others into our chaos. My newly formed family taught me that when you open your hearts and home to let people in, they walk through life with you. I also learned that day to be thankful for my new family, to embrace the crazy that surrounded me, but most importantly my parents showed me what it means to love outside myself and offer kindness to others.
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
