thanksgiving thoughts

Nov 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I love Thanksgiving. It is a warm, cozy, family-filled holiday. As a little girl we always went to my Grandma’s house 30 minutes away. All the cousins would play Hide-and-Seek in the nooks and crannies of Grandma’s house, Annie-I-Over the garage, and Kick-the-Can in the yard…or we would build snowmen and go ice-skating, depending on the weather each year. Back then, Camille and I would steal an entire pumpkin pie from the kitchen, grab a container of whipped cream, and sneak upstairs to our bedroom. There we would devour the whole pie in one sitting and then devise a plan to sneak everything back into the kitchen unnoticed.

I *think* this is at Thanksgiving at my Grandparent’s house, but I am not sure. It could have been Easter or Memorial Day or Grandpa’s birthday in October or something else, but I think it was Thanksgiving because there is dead grass and a little bit of snow on the ground, but in Wyoming that could really be any time of the year! Do any family members know?

Can you see me? I am right in front of my grandma with the glasses and pigtails.

In this one I am in the front row…look for the ginormous glasses, blond pigtails, silly smirk, and blue jacket. Camille is the one in the pink shirt that is about a head taller than me. I always was on the small side. My little brother Cameron is the cutie-pie in the big blue coat in front of everyone.

As our family grew bigger we moved into having our actual feast at my Aunt Diane’s church which was always fun because we could play volleyball and basketball in the gym and hide-and-seek all over the church. My grandparents have nine children and 42 grandchildren and a LOT of great-grandchildren (I think Annesley was the sixtieth), so these gatherings were always huge productions with delicious food, lots of hugs, and loads of laughter.

I loved it.

So much.

Thanksgiving was a grounding force in my life…a way to feel connected to the idea of family…a time to immerse myself in love and acceptance and strength and solidarity. Thanksgiving was foundational to me becoming me.

It has been three years since Grandma died and our traditions of Thanksgiving changed. It makes me sad. I wish we would still have a big party with all the extended family.

Instead we have been having Thanksgiving at my house the last couple of years. Having my whole family come to my home has been wonderful and I have been so grateful to be able to host everyone. This year we are trying something new again and going to my sister’s home down in Utah. My children are so excited to see everyone and Annesley is especially excited to have her birthday with her aunts and uncles.

It’s different, but it’s still good.

To me Thanksgiving = Family

Because what else am I more grateful for than my family?

Here are some pictures of our last Thanksgiving with my Grandma. I sat right next to her and she chuckled at my stories. I miss her so much and wish my Annesley could know her the way the rest of us do.

Mom, Mikelle, and Grandma