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Thanksgiving Thoughts
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With the stress of cleaning house, preparing dishes and beating early deadlines all looming over my head, it’s easy to forget what tomorrow’s holiday is about.

(Wait, you mean we’re not celebrating the wonders of turkey and pumpkin pie?)

While whipping together my great-grandmother’s broccoli casserole recipe that my grandmother passed down to my mother and now me, I also pondered my family ties. Even though we may have some discord, what family doesn’t? And though I am saddened to not spend tomorrow with my immediate family, I am grateful to see my parents this weekend, speak with relatives this week, and even to have known two great-grandmothers.

In fact, I even got a chuckle as I realized one common trait that’s been passed down for generations. For lack of a better word, let’s just call it “kookiness.” See, I notoriously misread recipes, using tablespoons instead of teaspoons or swapping ingredients. I thought I had all of the broccoli casserole ingredients together before I started cooking, but one of the steps said to add flour. I looked over the recipe list three, four, even five times, and did not see flour – so I called my grandmother. She answered my question (2 tablespoons) and explained that the original recipe she got from my Nonnie also didn’t have the flour, but that she just knows it by heart.

I guess culinary imperfections are a family trait, huh? That got me thinking about my family ties, even if I won’t be spending the day with my relatives. I’m grateful that I was raised in a loving, tight-knit family that supported my aspirations.

That got me thinking about how grateful I am to have a job in a down economy when the media is among the most damaged industries. When I put my problems into a world perspective, it forces me to realize that I (and many Americans) have great fortune in my life – another reason to give thanks.

This Thanksgiving, I’d like to wish happy holidays to you and yours, and put the question out there: What are you grateful for?

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