The table is set. The kitchen smells of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, collard greens, and sweet potato pie. That is just round one.
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. We would either travel down south to Georgia to see my father’s family. Or we would travel to Maryland to visit my mommy’s family. No matter where we went the kitchen was the center of our celebration. If we stayed in Michigan we would all gather at Auntie ReRe’s house. My mommy would always cook Thanksgiving dinner at home too. I can still remember how proud I was when I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner after I was married.
On Thanksgiving Day we would always attend the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Detroit. We would meet up with other families very early in the morning. One family would host the parade tailgate, I guess you could say. We would have breakfast, the parents would drink Irish coffee and the kids drank hot chocolate. Then we would head downtown to find the perfect spot, stand in the freezing Michigan weather and enjoy the parade. This was a tradition that I always looked forward to as a child.
We would also donate food to local food banks and even served dinner at the soup kitchen. My ex and I would donate turkeys to families in Detroit during my first years of teaching. We were raised to be thankful and to remember others.
Football was also a tradition. Watching the Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving Day was always fun or depressing depending on the score. Just the fact that we were all together is really all that mattered.
Today we will celebrate Thanksgiving down on the farm in Maryland at the request of Mom Mom Bertha. It will be a time of love, laughter, food, football and family. We will remember those family members that are angels in heaven and eat until we are stuffed.
What traditions does your family have for Thanksgiving? Does it include church, football, or eating out? No matter how you celebrate, it all comes down to our reflection of what we are thankful for.
This year I am thankful for the blessings that God has given our family over the past year. And for the new friends and family members that have joined our lives.
Happy Thanksgiving
Love,
The Cophers
A Woman's Work - Brooke Basically Blogging 