Thanksgiving in Paris

I am writing you from Paris where my family and I just celebrated our favorite holiday together—Thanksgiving. My son, Josh, an NYU student, is in the midst of a semester abroad here. Although this is not a French holiday—we thought we would join him and have our own celebration. It has been a feast, the days before and after our Thanksgiving, as we enjoyed the pleasures and decadences of French dining from the cheeses, French breads and pastries. (Although I must say there is a strong lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, and today’s task will be to locate a fresh market).

On Thanksgiving Day, we only had one glitch—the French do not eat turkey. In fact, through the eyes of Frenchmen, turkey is served to peasants and sometimes only at Christmas. It is rarely, if ever seen on restaurant menus. At the restaurant we chose for our private Thanksgiving feast, I did manage to find a small hen which was a fabulous substitute. I ordered mashed potatoes and salad—just the type of meal I would have prepared, had we celebrated at home. In the end, I came to realize that home is where your family is and the fact that we were all together was even more important than the food which was served. After all,

Thanksgiving has always been our favorite family holiday for as long as I can remember. One of the reasons we love it, is that it is does not have religious connotations. I recently learned that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in St. Augustine, Florida, America’s oldest towns and the one that all Florida school children (including my own) have visited at least once during their youth. The one thing I remember about that town, this many years later is the old school house and the dunce cap worn for misbehavior and as the name implies, ‘stupidity.’ In those days they definitely knew nothing about being politically correct! They would never get away with such a practice today.

In addition to Thanksgiving being a good excuse to get together and eat with loved ones, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and to give thanks, in general. The dinner table as a perfect place to reconnect and tell stories and catch up. It’s fun to reminisce about past holidays and how in the 1970s my husband and I had our honeymoon in France. We discussed all we are thankful for. In years gone by, when my kids were young we used to feed the homeless at the local shelter in Orlando where they fed 1500+ people in a big tent downtown. My kids would go to the buffet and fill up plates of turkey, mashed potatoes and yams accompanied by a bun and serve all the homeless men, women and children. There was enough gratitude to go around. They were thankful for the warm meal, and we were thankful to be able to help and for the life we lived. As we struggle with social and economic issues we must never forget all the good which surround us and to always find time to journal our blessings.

In fact, this is a good week to do some powerful gratitude journaling!

Journaling For Gratitude

Thanksgiving has and always will be my favorite holiday. Like everything else, many of our deepest passions plant their roots in childhood. As the daughter of an agnostic mother and a father who survived the Holocaust and in the cradle of a weak marriage, Thanksgiving was the only holiday they could agree on to celebrate.

So in mid-November, when most families were considering the height of that year’s Christmas tree, my house became decorated with fall colors and leaves. Our Thanksgiving table was decorated with chocolate turkeys, cranberries and orange ornaments. The aroma of turkey roasting in the oven early in the day still brings with it an unexplainable sense of calm.

Thanksgiving is the holiday I’ve also focused on with my own three children stressing that it is the day when they they need to express gratitude–either to one another or on the pages of our journals.

These days when we are surrounded by insecurities and uncertainties, we should make this a regular practice–not only on Thanksgiving but every day we are alive. In honor of the Buddhism philosophy, those who are truly the happiest are those who appreciate what they have–even life’s simplest pleasures need to be celebrated–such as driving to the coffee shop i or carefully examining the center of a budding flower.

What have you done today to show your gratitude?