In our family there is so much to be thankful for and I'm so glad to have a holiday like Thanksgiving that reminds me to slow down and realize just that. I was raised in a family that was loud, boisterous and full of love. Growing up I greeted all of my aunts and uncles with enthusiastic hugs and had a wonderful friendships with all of my cousins. As a child I felt that the noise, the silliness, and the chaos were all a part of the tradition of the holiday. Thanksgiving was a day filled with laughter as people fought over chairs, used words that made the kids giggle like "dungarees" and the children sat around debating over the proper way to cut butter as our aunt joined us at the kids table. We enjoyed both the smell of the food cooking in my Memere's kitchen as well tasting the wonderful food that everyone brought to share. We ate until our stomachs were full long before the turkey was even served. As a child I never thought of my Memere's home as small but just as full of those I loved and people being every where you turned wasn't crowded but added to the fun of the day. All of my wonderful memories of Thanksgivings in my past reminds me that my children will have wonderful similar memories when they grow older. Wonderful smells, delicious food, the sound of laughter, and a home full of those they love. I truly believe that the way we treat and value family is something that is learned from day one. I was taught it in my home as a child when it was just the five of us, as well as when we were at family parties or just listening to my mom talk to her sisters on the phone. The way that we speak to our family and about our family are the moments that children learn what family means. I often tell my kids that we don't talk bad about family no matter what, that we don't criticize them while no matter if we are in the same room or even miles away, that we talk to one another when we need to work out problems, that we are always each other's biggest fans and that we lift each other up and never put each other down. I think all of these things have been taught to me by the way my parents modeled them while I was growing up. My parents didn't talk bad about any of their family members. We spoke with utmost respect for each other and if my sisters and I didn't we were quickly reprimanded and told to cut it out. I don't have any major family heirloom's to pass onto my kids but I think if I can pass down the gift of what being in a family means then it will be of more value to them then anything that they could physically hold and it will last a lot longer to. When I heard my kids talk about the enthusiasm they had to go to Thanksgiving this year it made me feel that enthusiasm all over again as I did when I was a child. Thanksgiving is about being with those people that you love and respect the most. Those people that know you from the beginning until the end and remember stories about you that make you laugh and the moments that were hard that made you cry. Family isn't about similarities but it is about being willing to remain in each other story from cover to cover no matter where the plot takes you. Family is the thread that ties all of those moments of your life together and Thanksgiving is the day to remember and be thankful for that wonderful family you have been given.
In our family there is so much to be thankful for and I'm so glad to have a holiday like Thanksgiving that reminds me to slow down and realize just that. I was raised in a family that was loud, boisterous and full of love. Growing up I greeted all of my aunts and uncles with enthusiastic hugs and had a wonderful friendships with all of my cousins. As a child I felt that the noise, the silliness, and the chaos were all a part of the tradition of the holiday. Thanksgiving was a day filled with laughter as people fought over chairs, used words that made the kids giggle like "dungarees" and the children sat around debating over the proper way to cut butter as our aunt joined us at the kids table. We enjoyed both the smell of the food cooking in my Memere's kitchen as well tasting the wonderful food that everyone brought to share. We ate until our stomachs were full long before the turkey was even served. As a child I never thought of my Memere's home as small but just as full of those I loved and people being every where you turned wasn't crowded but added to the fun of the day. All of my wonderful memories of Thanksgivings in my past reminds me that my children will have wonderful similar memories when they grow older. Wonderful smells, delicious food, the sound of laughter, and a home full of those they love. I truly believe that the way we treat and value family is something that is learned from day one. I was taught it in my home as a child when it was just the five of us, as well as when we were at family parties or just listening to my mom talk to her sisters on the phone. The way that we speak to our family and about our family are the moments that children learn what family means. I often tell my kids that we don't talk bad about family no matter what, that we don't criticize them while no matter if we are in the same room or even miles away, that we talk to one another when we need to work out problems, that we are always each other's biggest fans and that we lift each other up and never put each other down. I think all of these things have been taught to me by the way my parents modeled them while I was growing up. My parents didn't talk bad about any of their family members. We spoke with utmost respect for each other and if my sisters and I didn't we were quickly reprimanded and told to cut it out. I don't have any major family heirloom's to pass onto my kids but I think if I can pass down the gift of what being in a family means then it will be of more value to them then anything that they could physically hold and it will last a lot longer to. When I heard my kids talk about the enthusiasm they had to go to Thanksgiving this year it made me feel that enthusiasm all over again as I did when I was a child. Thanksgiving is about being with those people that you love and respect the most. Those people that know you from the beginning until the end and remember stories about you that make you laugh and the moments that were hard that made you cry. Family isn't about similarities but it is about being willing to remain in each other story from cover to cover no matter where the plot takes you. Family is the thread that ties all of those moments of your life together and Thanksgiving is the day to remember and be thankful for that wonderful family you have been given.
