Every day is Thanksgiving Day
If I look back at my photos and albums through the years and the decades to my 20s, the one sure thing I’ll find every November is a picture of me wielding a humongous and heavy, heavenly and golden roast turkey.
Cooking a turkey is no small feat, since this gigantic bird takes days to defrost and hours to prepare. The process isn’t actually complicated, as you’ll see later on.
The question foremost in the minds of the non-Thanksgiving celebrating friends we have is always, why are we celebrating a non-Filipino holiday with a meal that’s not traditionally Filipino either?
My answer is, unequivocally, that Thanksgiving is a state of the heart and not a date on a calendar. It’s a day that should be celebrated every day, most especially when times are hard and there seems to be little to be thankful for.
There is always something to be grateful for, and whether we see it or not is reflective of our openness to the fragility, tenderness and fleeting gift of life.
Gratitude is an attitude that demands effort and perseverance, because an everyday sort of day with ups and downs, disappointments and delays can make it difficult to perceive the blessing that hides behind every seemingly wrong turn.
When we see that things don’t turn out as we’ve hoped for, or feel like the opportunity has been lost, we actually don’t see the complete picture.
How many times have I wondered why a collection was delayed, only to see afterwards that there was something more important than what I wanted originally to spend it on?
All of us have stories of the canceled trip, the missed job, the one that got away—which turned out to be providential in the end.
And in the end, gratitude is a latitude where you glimpse the sun hiding behind a cloud of gray, where you suspect that miracles are just around the corner.
Which corner, you ask?
Well, asking is just the beginning. And seeking better things can be a start. A mumbled prayer can fling the doors open to wonders you didn’t know were up His sleeve.
So hang in there and say thank you. For waking up this morning, no matter how little sleep you’ve had. For that cup of coffee to start your day. For the first notes of birdsong outside your window.
See, the birds begin their day by singing for love. And the trees lift up their branches, pointing to the heavens, which brings the sunshine and the rain. Your pets dance around you expecting breakfast. Your loved ones greet you or don’t greet you with their sleepy faces. And all this happens every day.
That’s why I love Thanksgiving. It doesn’t hurt that we adore turkey with all its trimmings. But it could very well be a platter of lechon instead, or fried chicken, or even a yummy Jollibee meal.
If there are family and friends on hand that’s great, and because I’m so introverted, if there’s no one but me, it’s actually even better, in my opinion.
But my opinion doesn’t count on Thanksgiving Day, as my husband and three children are expecting that humongous and heavy, heavenly and golden roast turkey.
I start by buying the smallest turkey I can find. If needed I will buy two small birds rather than one large one, which takes much longer to cook and could end up dry.
For me, dryness is the enemy of a good turkey. After defrosting in the ref for a couple of days I will prepare my American-style stuffing, which has apples, chestnuts and dried cranberries. I will make my own cranberry sauce, which I accent with orange. I always make a literal gallon of gravy.
And I will pray, and thank the Lord not just for another delicious turkey meal but also for His kindness, His graciousness, His warm embrace.
With that I pray that every day becomes your Thanksgiving day, and that Thanksgiving day becomes a day where gratitude banishes the sadness, where light floods our soul and where His love is the candle we hold up to the dark.