Thanksgiving- a Heritage to Pass On

Thanksgiving is a day full of tradition and memories for my family.  When I was a kid, we would gather at my Grandpa Johnson’s house with all of his kids and grandkids.  The table was full and the house was full of activity.  My grandmother would hurry around with apron on, finishing up the last minute details.  I can still hear her moving about singing hymns and melodies.

Finally, the table was prepared – a golden turkey covered to the breast in dressing, cranberry sauce, casseroles, mashed potatoes, rice, sliced tomatoes, fried okra, watermelon rind pickles, breads, pies, and home-made banana ice cream.  My grandfather would take his place at the head of the table and gather us together.  He would lead us all in sharing something we were thankful for.  We would hold hands and sing the Doxology as our prayer.  It was the most beautiful harmony.  To this day, their are few songs that move me like that does. 

After prayer, we sat, ate, told stories, and breathed in the experience.  Our Thanksgiving was spent exactly like that until I was a fresman in college.  Hurricane Andrew hit Homestead and we had Thanksgiving under a tarped roof.  The meal was on paper plates.  I was surrounded by people that I barely

knew but somehow felt connected to as my family and our friends were the recipients of great generosity during a time of total chaos.

The Easter morning after that Thanksgiving, my grandmother died and the structure of our family began to change.  Our family gatherings were never quite the same as each of the families assumed their new roles with new fathers and grandfathers sitting at the heads of the tables all arranged in different homes in different cities. 

This year, our Thanksgiving festivities began Wednesday night around a fire in our backyard.  We told stories, roasted marshmallows, bananas, apples, hotdogs, and enjoyed one another.  Thanksgiving morning started with Macy’s Parade and NFL Football (Miami v. Detroit), and then rolled into the big show (a.k.a. the food experience).

We had four generations here this year with Kelly’s Granpa Hall being the senior guy.  He is 82 and has had a rough couple of years.  His short term memory is poor.  His sentence structure gets jumbled a bit as well.  I put his seat at the head of the table and we asked him to lead us in returning thanks to God for his blessings in our lives.  He prayed a beautiful prayer.  As he did, I could see a strength come over him as he seemed more in control than he has been the whole time he has been here.  We ate and shared the things we were truly thankful for.

After retiring from the table, we played games and took a leisurely dusk walk with everyone.  My mom gave the girls glow sticks which they thoroughly enjoyed.  We stopped, laid on the ground and looked at the stars.  After about an hour, we got home to see the UM v. Boston College game.  The night ended with another backyard fire and plenty of embarrassing stories.

We relived some of our traditions and retold stories for a great Thanksgiving.  After seven years of marriage and three years of being a dad, it seems like we are just now able to pass along the richness of our family traditions and even make some new ones of our own. 

This blog entry is one of the new traditions.  One day, when my girls need to look back, they can read about their family and see the experiences that started us out, the heritage that was passed on, and the common experiences we all shared.  I know these times will be the most important times for them as they develop and try to figure out who they are. 

In times of personal turbulence following a bad decision or experience, I could always reach back into my heart and soul and remember the godly heritage passed down.  I could reaffirm my identity and call on God for the same help and strength He had offered my father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, and other members of my family who had built on a spiritual and familial foundation laid by significant people in their lives.