Traditions

I called my daughter to work out the details of our Thanksgiving weekend. She has a new baby and it appears we may not be able to head out the door at 4:00 AM Friday morning for our traditional outing. We really never buy anything except breakfast and a couple of Starbucks before 10:00 AM yet it has become a tradition for us.

Although we can’t enjoy this yearly outing, we planned a new tradition and we will have breakfast together at a normal hour and head to a large Arts and Crafts show later in the morning. When the girls are old enough to tag along with Mom and Mimi, we will rejoin the crazy crowd of shoppers at 4:00 AM again. While on the phone I mentioned that I might try something new and different for our Thanksgiving meal. Instead of turkey I was thinking a nice juicy prime rib with different trimmings than our normal dressing, gravy, green beans, macaroni and cheese and pumpkin pie. My daughter is super-traditional and you just don’t mess with “how things are done in our family.” She had a fit. “Mom, one change at a time. You can’t do that. You HAVE to fix the same stuff. It’s tradition.”

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So instead of trying that new recipe that caught my eye in a recent magazine, I headed off to the store to pack my basket with the “same stuff” that we always have. Celery and onions – only the white ones will do --– check! Special cornmeal my mother in law MUST have for her dressing – check! Longhorn cheese (not easy to find) for mac and cheese – check! Two packages of Land of Lakes REAL butter – check! Five pounds of sweet potatoes carefully picked – all the same size – check! And then the finale – the largest Butterball turkey – not frozen – still fresh - check! And of course – the pumpkin pie ingredients and the makings for a birthday cake for Uncle Tommy who celebrates his birthday with us on Thanksgiving every year. As I packed the refrigerator and rearranged the shelves to accommodate the big purchase, I thanked God I had the ability to celebrate traditions, purchase large amounts of food and plan a big celebration with my precious family. My heart is filled with thanks for my new grand baby who came into this world with no problems this year and for my other two grand girls who are adorable and sweet. I am thankful for my husband of 37 years who has put up with me and my new found passion in the liberty movement. I am thankful for my children who turned out to be great American citizens and chose nearly perfect people as their life long partners. I am thankful my mother in law is still with us at the age of 87 and we are celebrating one more Thanksgiving with her and her yummy dressing. I am thankful for my friends in the tea party movement who have stood up and said – “We like America and we love our traditions. We don’t like your change.” I am thankful that America has a chance to reframe the dialogue as we head to 2012. I am thankful God woke us up and gave millions of us a chance to right the wrongs in our culture. There are many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving and I hope you will take time to consider your own personal blessings. Take time, too, to consider the richness of all America has to offer. We are a nation of traditions and although some would like to change them, they are the fabric of our lives. We may not be a perfect nation but we are as close to it as you can get. No other nation was founded on Godly principles and formed according to scripture. Our nation has welcomed more to our shores and our traditions than any other on this planet. While not perfect…I am proud of my country and I am thankful to be an American. God bless you as you plan your family traditions this week. Whatever they are, we hope you will be safe in your travels and will relish each moment you spend with your loved ones. Say a prayer for those who lost a loved one this year or who lost a job. Some are depressed during the holiday season and if you know anyone like that, invite them to share in your holiday so they are not alone. And in closing, don’t forget the cranberry sauce. There’s nothing like listening to the “plop” as it exits the can! Back to the store for me – I forgot that one! Check! Enjoy the video -- Happy Thanksgiving, my dear friends!