In this time of great changes in my life, I decided to begin a new Thanksgiving tradition - paying it forward.
A friend of mine from my bereavement group and I will be going to a homeless shelter on Long Island tomorrow to serve Thanksgiving dinner to those not fortunate enough to have all we enjoy and sometimes take for granted. He and I decided to do something different, something that carries no memories of past holiday celebrations with those loved ones we lost.
Thanksgiving was Tom's absolute favorite holiday - he loved the simplicity of family gathered around a table he had loving loaded with his special recipes. His cooking skills were recognized and applauded by everyone invited to join us. Though Tom was of English ancestry, his expertise in cooking many Italian dishes surprised those of us Italians he learned from. I guess he actually was paying attention when my mother made her legendary meals. Come to think of it, he probably learned a few things from me too - in the days I cooked.
Speaking of starting new traditions, I'm planning to do two new things next Thanksgiving - cook Thanksgiving dinner and cook it aboard Olympia! I've been checking Southwest Airlines' site to see when they open their reservations for November, 2015. The day that happens, I'm booking a ticket for myself and whomever else wants to join me. I casually mentioned this to my sister in North Carolina, since she is by far the better cook. I thought enticing her with dinner aboard beautiful Olympia in a warm climate was infinitely better than anything else she would be doing. We might have ignition there Houston!
Thank you everyone who is making this wonderful journey called Olympia with me. Every day is an opportunity for thanksgiving, no matter the circumstances. I appreciate your thoughtful comments, suggestions and kind words of support and encouragement.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment