Pictures from the trip

We forgot the best part

The turkeys cooked, potatoes are mashed, the wine is open (if you’re like my family anyways) and it’s time for the mayhem to begin. Typically what my family does is stand in a lopsided circle and hold hands, some of us with babies on our hips, some of us with eyes open to make funny faces at a nephew while we pray. During dinner we will take turns saying what we are most thankful for this year.

Somehow this year, between the madness of two pregnant sisters, a plethora of children running around, and puppies running between legs to catch fallen food, we missed out on my favorite part. 

Honestly, my family is composed of some of the most selfless, giving, compassionate people I’ve known. We are all very emotional and passionate people. We share our feelings of gratitude with each other and others on a regular basis. Ungrateful isn’t a word I would use to describe any of them. The truth is we are just very busy and distracted.

But the more I’ve thought about our wonderful Thanksgiving together the more it bothered me that we all forgot to include the best part: thanking each other for the love and support that has gotten us through another year and for all the blessings in our life. 

Being busy isn’t an excuse I want to accept for not telling the people I love thank you for all they’ve done for me. I don’t want myself or my family to get lazy about our gratitude. Forgetting to be thankful for every single thing will lead us to be less concerned about what others don’t have. I would bet a billion dollars (or whatever may be in my bank account) that none of the children I hung out with in Ethiopia would forget to be thankful for even one second for some of the conveniences I take for granted every day. It’s Thanksgiving so I expect to see a big fat turkey on the table; I don’t take into account how much that meat would mean to an Ethiopian family. I get wrapped up in my taken-for-granted traditions and forget that the cost of that turkey could support an entire family for a month or more in Ethiopia and countries like it.

Realizing this doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy Thanksgiving or the Holidays just because I can’t give every African family a big Thanksgiving dinner. It would be unreasonable to give up everything in my lifestyle and try to match my world to theirs or vice versa. Our societies are different as well as our expectations. But at the very least I can remember to be thankful for what I have and help those who don’t have as much. 

Two months after returning from Ethiopia and here’s another self-realization. I’m sure this won’t be the last.