Friday, November 28, 2008

The pull of tradition is strong!

Yup, we did it! We said we weren't going to bother with a big Thanksgiving dinner. Without family and all the hype around the four-day holiday weekend, without any other ex-patriots around or even German friends to cook for, we didn't want to set ourselves up for disappointment. There is no Thanksgiving in Germany, after all.

But we went for groceries on Wednesday evening and there he was, a big Tom Turkey in the freezer case! We could not resist. Aaron had an extra vacation day and decided to use it today, Friday. So this morning we found ourselves cooking up a storm- turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans and apple pie! Thanksgiving came a day late to us in Soerup, Germany, but it came. The potatoes were lumpy, the stuffing was dry, the gravy was soupy but it all tasted great!

We sat and lingered over the meal, reminiscing about past holidays and funny family moments. We reflected on the many things we are thankful for this year. We are so grateful for the loving family and friends we have- absence really does make the heart grow fonder. We are so glad we have each other to lean on in this grand new adventure. Neither of us could do it alone. And we are thankful for new opportunities and all the doors God has opened to us. It is exciting to think about where this will lead.

So, even though things are business as usual here in Germany the spirit of Thanksgiving is here at our house. Not the same as always but a special day all the same.

3 comments:

MOM said...

Ohhh....I am getting a bit misty...maybe it is because I have the flu..?? Your dinner looks wonderful! Enjoy each and every moment of your special adventure! See you soon!!!!

600 Chelsea said...

I see that some of the turkey cookies made it to the Thanksgiving feast!!! I wonder if your grocer put in a special order "turkey" knowing that there is an American family in town?

Jessica said...

It's funny what we become thankful for as we get older and go through new experiences. I know I'm thankful for a lot more things this year than I had been before. Glad to see (read?) that you're continuing our tradition auf Deutsch! (ich denke....mein deutsch ist nicht so gut!)