3 Reasons Why I’m Thankful During Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! It was the one time during the year that my mom made all of our favorite foods; turkey, cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, candied yams, cornbread, potato salad, sweet potato pie and sometimes lemon meringue pie! Yes, we ate real good!!! LOL

But my Thanksgiving memories have always been about more than just food. I’m grateful that I had this foundation to help me remain grounded even while on my own healthy journey of transformation. Here are 3 reasons why I’m thankful during Thanksgiving.

Family

Family has always been very important to me. I have an older brother and younger sister. We may not have grown up with much. But our parents always instilled love and great values within us. They taught us that “family is everything!” You get to choose your friends. But you don’t get to choose your family. We were always reminded of this, during Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was a big family gathering. We would have extended family and even close friends come over to eat, fellowship and have a great time. Someone would always share a story about a family member. “Back in the day, I had to walk miles to school in the mud and rain.”

“We had to sleep in the same bed. One slept at the foot of the bed, the other at the head.” “We all had to work hard in the fields to harvest the crops.”

I loved hearing these stories and more. This was my history. This is my legacy. I was blessed to have these experiences that I try to recreate with my own family. My family has become my great support system on my journey of transformation. I am thankful for my family.

Gratitude

We know the traditional reasons why the first Thanksgiving was celebrated; Pilgrims and Native Americans. But it has grown into so much more for my family. Before we eat, we have a tradition of holding hands and everyone takes a turn sharing what they are thankful for this year. Everyone participates, even the children.

The stories range from being thankful for small things, a person, being in your “right” mind, graduating school, passing a test to being healed from a disease and more. You never know what people are going through.

When people share what they are thankful for, it helps you put your own life into perspective. Your problems don’t seem as big. You can rejoice for others, while learning to be more hopeful for your own situation. This has helped me to celebrate everything, even the small wins, on my journey of transformation. I am blessed that I can always find something to be thankful for.

Food

Yes, the Thanksgiving holiday is more than just the food. I couldn’t forget to mention it! LOL Waking up to the smells of celery and onions cooking for the cornbread dressing. Smelling the scent of the turkey basting in the oven. Helping my mom peel the sweet potatoes and potatoes. These are all fond memories I have only during Thanksgiving.

My mother didn’t make the healthiest meals all the time. She called on her Mississippi roots for good down home Southern cooking. She learned these recipes from my grandmother and her own grandmother. They have been passed down from generation to generation.

The food was always delicious and plentiful. My mom never skimped on our Thanksgiving dinner. She not only wanted everyone to have enough to eat, but to take home as well.

Last year, was my first Thanksgiving that I celebrated on my journey of transformation. You can check out my meals here. Instead of trying to make healthier meals, I opted to be more mindful and continue to track my meals. It worked for me! I will do the same thing this Thanksgiving.

I know that I don’t eat like this all the time. It’s a special occasion and because I am more mindful, God has helped me not to overindulge. I’m not afraid of binging. I will continue to make some of these recipes that have been handed down for my own family. I am thankful for the food!

Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience on our journey of transformation. If you want to find healthier substitutes, then please find them. Just don’t hold yourself hostage to the food.

The food isn’t the enemy. It’s our mindset and habits related to food that are the root issues. When we realize that this holiday is so much more than just the food, then we can truly embrace it without fear. Be thankful! Be FREE!

The food isn’t the enemy. It’s our mindset and habits related to food that are the root issues. When we realize that this holiday is so much more than just the food, then we can truly embrace it without fear. Be thankful! Be FREE!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday?