Thursday, November 24, 2022

Thanksgiving and thinking outside the box.

 

Thanksgiving is a special time for family and memories.  I can go back into my childhood and remember turkey dinners annually until I turned seventeen and continued the tradition.  There was one year though that didn’t go quite as planned.

We were in Japan and my father was out to sea.  My mother wanted to do something different and planned with a friend to take the trains to Tokyo and eat a fancy meal at one of their fancier restaurants.  So, with all the kids in tow, we went to the train station, boarded the trains, and headed out on our new adventure.  The train ride was approximately 45 minutes and as the stops progressed, so did our appetites.   We were hungry to try the new restaurant.  As a kid, I only cared about the food, not where we were going.  After a lengthy trip we arrived and found our way to the restaurant.  The smells coming from the room was intoxicating.  We were starving by that point.  My mom approached the hostess at the front desk.  The hostess asked if she had a reservation.  That is when things took a turn.

I love my mom.  However, she was not a big planner.   She never thought they would need reservations for this dinner.  The restaurant was booked.  There was no room for us.  So sadly, we turned around and walked out together, still hungry.  The two women gathered the grumpy kids and made their way back to the train station.  They wanted the perfect Thanksgiving meal.  They were trying to find a way to make it happen.  It was not in the cards.  The kids finally got their moms to give in.  Everyone was hungry.  There was no fixing this.  So, on the way back, we found a McDonalds.  I was so excited because I was so hungry!  All the kids ran into McDonalds and eagerly ordered their food.

It was the BEST Thanksgiving burger I EVER had!  I was so thankful for the burger and fries.  My mom was not happy but reluctantly realized everyone needed to eat.  Later in life we laughed about our Thanksgiving burgers.  They were the best burgers that night.  We were together and we were all thankful for any food.  That’s all that counted.

Everything doesn’t need to be the way it has always been.  I am bringing this up because once again I am faced with feeling frustrated about keeping the tradition or stepping outside of the box.  This year has been a very difficult one for our family.  There have been many things out of my husbands and my control.  So, we decided to change the tradition.

My husband and I are going out of town together for Thanksgiving.  We booked a hotel out of the country.  We will be eating a beautiful meal with an amazing couple who will be joining us for dinner.  They are leaving New York and driving to Canada just to join us for dinner. Yes, I made reservations.  We have the hotel booked for the weekend.  Nothing planned except meals and massages.  This is our new Thanksgiving tradition for 2022.  I am thankful for my husband and my Savior!  I have so much to be thankful for...  There are not enough words to describe my thankfulness.

Change is hard.  No family is perfect.  No holiday is perfect.  Sometimes you just need to not just think outside the box – but think like there is no box.  Create new memories with what you have.  You don’t need to do the same thing if the same thing is not working.  You only need to find something to be thankful for and do it.

Change it up.

Join me in stepping outside of the box!

See you on the other side!


Happy Thanksgiving!  I am Thankful for you!



1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:28 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

                                              Copyright © 2022 Peggy A. Priest. All Rights Reserved.


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