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Perspective: Reinventing Thanksgiving

Carolyn V
/
Unsplash

I’m reinventing Thanksgiving, which is not easy to do.

Especially since this will be our 40th straight year to host Thanksgiving for family and friends.

Ours is a family that loves tradition, and so  across those forty years, we have kept things the same; the same beloved recipes for cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pumpkin pie; the same vintage tablecloth spread across the same  long table; the same gathering in a circle for a prayer of gratitude, where each person present, including children, names a blessing. The same holding of hands and shaking a little love around.

But this year, of course, will not be same.  Because of the pandemic, our out of town families will not be joining us, and in an effort to protect those who do come, we will not be gathering inside. Instead, I am hosting a Turkey Tailgate outside. I’ve ordered snow pants. Dusted off my Stormy Kromer hat.  Stacked firewood by the backyard firepit. Masks and social distancing are on the menu, and if it rains or snows, well, there’s always the option of a turkey take-out dinner from the garage.

The one constant, however, that will not change is our Thanksgiving prayer of gratitude. And even though our numbers will be smaller, and our prayer together may be on Zoom or Facetime, gratitude for the ties that bind, for the love we share will remain the same. And for that I am extremely thankful.

So, no matter where your loved ones are this Thanksgiving or how you celebrate to stay safe, there’s one thing we can all do the same.

Shake a little love around. The world needs it.

I'm Marnie O. Mamminga and that's my Perspective.

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