I am going to tell you the story of my last thanksgiving, with the intention of giving a little hope to everyone dealing with the stress of Thanksgiving in Covid times!
A year ago, I was living in Mexico and my husband was living in Los Angeles. He would fly back and forth to be together and thanksgiving was no exception. Since it was going to be just the two of us that year we decided to make reservations at a restaurant that offered a full thanksgiving dinner. They had it all, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, all the pies!
Low and behold, turkey day came and a massive storm came with it!! It rained… a lot. Most of the streets in the city had flooded and there was no way we would be able to get to the restaurant. My husband was super sad. He was craving all the glorious thanksgiving foods they had promised and we didn’t have any food in the fridge, as we hadn’t planned on making thanksgiving dinner! No takeout either, everything was either closed or impossible to get to.
We started looking at stores where we could get enough ingredients to make some kind of Turkey-esque meal. Some grocery stores were closed and others impossible to get to, luckily there was a Sam’s Club only a couple of blocks away from our house, and it was open!
So we went for it! Only to be quickly disappointed to find out that since many of the roads were closed, there was a lot of food that never got delivered.
No turkey, no ham, no beef… I could see the desperation setting in behind my husband’s eyes, trying to find something resembling Thanksgiving. There were quite a few cheeses available, so I suggested a nice cheese board and some wine, maybe some cold meats. He just looked at me and said, “that’s not thanksgiving.”
But the important thing to always remember is that anything is salvageable! We found some root vegetables and managed to find the last of a whole uncooked chicken (or as we called it, a tiny turkey)! So, from the few things we found in that Sam’s Club, we made one of the most delicious Thanksgiving dinners, either of us, ever had.
At the end of the day, Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for what we have. We were together and that was the most important thing for us, especially since we were living in different countries. That Thanksgiving has become one of our fondest memories and an important reminder that you can choose how to react to things that don’t go your way. We should appreciate the things we have and never lose sight of what matters the most.
I don’t know if you will spend your Thanksgiving alone or with very few family members, but this year, especially, the most important thing we have to be grateful for is our health. This has been a very weird year and most of us haven’t been able to hug our families, but the knowledge that they are healthy is the best thing to be thankful for.
So many people have lost loved ones due to COVID-19 and if you are one of them, I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart.
I hope this Thanksgiving you have many things to be grateful for and that you enjoy a warm delicious meal. I send many blessings your way.
Right, life is first and with health even better. I remember that Day, it really rained a lot. The most important is being together. So funny we met at Sams Club that very same Day ,it’s a small World.
I knooow!!! What a great memory!!
We can almost always find something to be grateful for. One of the things I’m grateful for is our friendship with you and your family, even though we can’t visit each other for a while. We love you!
Roger and Monika
Thank you so much Monika!! I am too very grateful for our friendship and the time I got to spend with you and with Roger. I love you very much!!