Sunday Morning Reflections - Creating New Traditions

© dariovuksanovic

We had friends over last night for "Thanksgiving" dinner. That's right, we missed Thanksgiving by two days, but it was intentional.

Last year's Thanksgiving with my Dad here just couldn't be topped. So, we chose to have a quiet, intimate dinner, just the two of us on Thursday night. I threw a few lobster tails on the grill while most of the rest of country went the traditional route with a turkey and a familyfriends gathering.

We postponed Thanksgiving to have time with a couple of terrific friends. Our "thanks" was for good friends and having so much joy in our lives.  However, for me, the preparation for dinner was almost as much fun as sharing it with friends.

I have the most fun doing things with Sheila, and one of them is cooking. We're like a finely tuned machine, managing to stay out of each other's way like a complex choreographed dance routine from Mandy Moore. Then there are those "oh crap" moments. We take turns realizing the one key ingredient we need isn't in the spice cabinet or pantry, but still on the grocer's shelves! That usually puts me in the role of supermarket storm-trooper, rushing back and forth to Publix!

I also had a unique experience in carving the turkey. Sheila told me I've been doing it wrong, and I got defensive. After all, I've been carving the turkey the way my Dad taught me years ago and who knows, maybe his Dad taught him. Well, ten minutes before the turkey came out of the oven I went to YouTube and watched a video from the Culinary Institute. Along with an incredible dinner, I swallowed my pride. Even better was it kept the sliced turkey together and I didn't have to spend an hour with a paring knife getting all the meat off the bones for leftovers!

Look, it's Sunday, and I'm writing with the biggest smile on my face. We succeeded in breaking some time-tested traditions. We had a chance to remind two very special people in our lives that their friendship is unique and so important to us. I learned the right to carve a turkey instead of acting like one.  And, somehow, we took what should have been a pretty tough time emotionally and turned into one incredible collection of new memories.
 
As always, make it a great day! Stop worrying about shopping and simply spend time with people you care about. Go for those eleven-second hugs and most important of all with the topic of this post - find a few traditions that just might be fun to break.  And, with the general theme of "thanks" this time of year - thank you for following this blog, your support, and your friendship!

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