Me, Thanksgiving and My Mom

First turkey heading into the oven (2012):
prepared with a recipe I got from a great friend a few years back...
and with a few of my own alterations ;)

November 23 (Part II)

I couldn’t possibly write about Thanksgiving without sharing some of my very favorite traditions with you.  Aside from all of the sentimental emotion, there is some serious cooking to be done!  And over the years, I have managed to create some pretty amazing Thanksgiving Dinner Parties…if I do say so myself J But a lot of the credit for the success of these meals needs to go to my mom; not only for the food, but for the love and tenderness that I put into being a hostess.  For as long as I can remember, my mom and I have spent the third Thursday of November cooking this meal together…so my knowledge of the food and recipes comes from years of training.  And also for as long as I can remember, my parents have been hosting family and friends for various holidays and events. While my dad’s main duty has always been to make sure that the bar is set-up and ready to go, my mom has typically taken care of all the rest.  Watching her prepare for, execute and entertain during these gatherings over the last 30+ years, has ever so naturally instilled an attention to detail and a love for my guests that creates the perfect atmosphere for a great evening.   So, for many reasons, no matter where I am in the world…even when I’m an ocean away…Thanksgiving Day (and the days leading up to it) just makes me feel so close to her.  Whether it’s just in my thoughts or during a quick cell phone call to ask a question about how many pounds of potatoes I should prepare for “x” amount of people, or as we did yesterday: a Skype date while I chop away just to share some of our Thanksgiving holiday energy…she’s always with me throughout the day, helping me to figure it all out. Without fail, every time I create this meal on my own, I reach out to my mom at least once for advice of one kind or another.

Mom and me...
not at Thanksgiving, but treating ourselves to a great meal a few years ago

I believe I was nine when mom first let me tackle the meal by myself, under her supervision of course.  After all, she had taught me everything I knew about preparing that feast and I would need her help as a sous chef.  If memory serves me correctly, the only thing I couldn’t manage on my own, besides remembering some of the measurements and proportions was lifting the bird in/out of the oven!  Since then, I’ve created several other memorable Thanksgiving meals on my own, including but not limited to: 

• a Thanksgiving Dinner for the Parreños, one of my host families in Ecuador, (albeit not at Thanksgiving) in 1999;
• a Thanksgiving Dinner Party for about twenty-five of my favorite people during my year in Marburg in 2003;
• an intimate Thanksgiving Dinner with a few close friends in Washington, DC in 2006;
• another big Thanksgiving Dinner Party for about twenty-five people (my five roommates, their significant others, and several friends) in Washington, DC in 2009;
• a third big Thanksgiving Dinner Party for my entire team at work (again, about twenty-five guests) in Washington, DC in 2011; and, finally
• a medium sized Thanksgiving Dinner Party for my Berlin family (eight people) just yesterday.

Thanksgiving 2012 with my Berlin family...

...the table (mid-meal)...

and a post-meal photo with Christina and Christoph

I have so many fond memories of Thanksgivings around the globe…even one that I didn’t actually cook, but got to celebrate and enjoy while I was living in Uganda in 2008.  But it all goes back to my mom.  We’ve cooked this important holiday meal together for so long now, that we have quite a rhythm, regardless of the years that we’ve spent the day apart.  When I’m home for Thanksgiving, I always make sure to be up early enough to help with the stuffing as we both love making it so much, we inevitably share that duty and do our best to compromise with the flavors.  While we work throughout the day sharing some duties and splitting some up, it’s almost a choreographed dance in the kitchen.  And even though I’ve added to my recipes and changed things up a bit, she’s usually pretty willing to let me add a twist to something (sausage, apple, sage stuffing anyone??).  And she knows me so well that she always reminds me not to over-pepper the stuffing (or the bird, or anything for that matter!).  And then, when everything is about ready to go on the table, we work again side-by-side to get each side dish in the perfect dish, the turkey carved and the gravy perfected.  If you’ve never prepared a Thanksgiving Dinner, it takes a lot of preparation and orchestration to get everything on the table (and warm!) at the same time and she’s always been great at this.  

My world-famous sausage, apple, sage stuffing ;)

So, you see, everything about Thanksgiving oozes MOM to me…perhaps that is why it’s my favorite holiday…it’s my “mom” day.  And although it’s always best when we get to spend it physically together, it’s always a day that brings us closer together, no matter what.  Of all the amazing Thanksgiving memories I have, the most important and special and irreplaceable of them all is the ever present and constant connection with my amazing mom.  She has been the most amazing mother a girl could ask for.  She has held me tight in moments of sorrow and celebrated with me in moments of joy.  She has never wavered in her support of me and she has forever been an inspiration of the type of woman I should strive to be.  She has been a rock, a shoulder to cry on, the calm during a crazy storm and a best friend.  She has loved me always and unconditionally and just so very much.  This day that has been such a big part of my life will forever represent the love and friendship that we share.  It will always represent the deep gratitude that I could never fully express in words for her presence in my life and her contribution to my spirit.  She is one of my living angels, she is one of my soul mates and I will cherish her always.

Celebrating life with my beautiful mom (2010)

One of my own Thanksgiving traditions that I created over the years is decorating the room and table with flowers, candles and printed out quotes that I scatter around for people to enjoy.  This list of quotes that I’ve compiled throughout the years is ever-growing.  They are quotes that I have come across that touch my soul; thoughts that I consider to be inspiring and that help me to reflect on life and its unwavering beauty.  So, here are two of my favorites:

“I believe in soul mates. I believe people become friends and dreamers, when they have this, when they touch each other’s soul. That spirit, that human spirit. He had it. I had it. And we could connect on it.”  Rudy Reutigger (the real Rudy!)

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  Albert Schweitzer

**Mom, thank you forever for being both a soul mate and a constant spark of light in my life.  You are a treasure I hold very dear in my heart.**