Happy Thanksgiving!

As I look around the crowded dinning table I see my beautiful family smiling and laughing, as we share unforgettable memories and the numerous blessing that we have received. I smell the delicious turkey, ham, biscuits, and baked potatoes that my mother has caringly cooked. I don’t know if I can potentially take another bite without having my stomach explode, but the food is simply too delicious and tempting!

 My family has celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday the traditional American way since the year 1994, after emigrating from Mexico to the United States. In Mexico, Thanksgiving is not traditionally celebrated. However, as the number of individuals emigrating from Mexico to the United States increases so does the number of families celebrating Thanksgiving. My family views thanksgiving as a holiday when we get together and remember all the triumphs and downfalls we have had in life, and take time to realize how incredibly blessed we really are to have each other.

From the moment I open my eyes on Thanksgiving morning I can smell the delicious turkey cooking in the oven. I jump out of bed and run to the kitchen, only to find my mother cautiously cooking trying not to wake up the rest of the family. My mom surprisingly cooks only the traditional thanksgiving meal, and not any Mexican dishes. The meal consists of: Turkey, ham, stuffing, smashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, biscuits, steamed vegetables and of course pumpkin pie for dessert.

My immediate family, which consist of my mother, father, brother, sister and brother-in-law traditionally have thanksgiving lunch together at my parent’s home. Following thanksgiving lunch, we visit our grandparents and share dessert with them while reminiscing about childhood memories. Thanksgiving dinner is spent with my brother-in-laws family and my immediate family at my parent’s home. The two families bring the numerous dishes they’ve prepared and place them around the kitchen counter and we fix our plate “buffet” style.

Before having dinner, my mother always begins a prayer, which engages the entire family. She begins the prayer and one by one we alternate by giving thanks for the numerous blessing out Lord has generously granted us with, especially for the blessing of having such a loving and caring family to share the holidays with. Although the food is extremely delicious, the prayer session is my favorite part of thanksgiving. It’s a time where we can be thankful to the Lord for all the hardships, struggles, and adventures we have gone through that has shaped us into the individuals and great family we are.