My First Thanksgiving - 11/26/2009

I’m just out of a four day holiday weekend – thanks to the festival of THANKSGIVING!! We never had thanksgiving festivals in India, so I wasn’t sure what exactly this festival meant. So I looked at the place that I resort to so very often for information – The Internet !!! Just from the name anyone would guess it’s a day to give thanks and that’s what it is - Thanksgiving is traditionally a harvest festival, a day to thank God for His innumerable Blessings.

Thanksgiving is a family festival, where family members come together and spend time with each other, often enjoying a wonderful dinner of turkey and pies. It is said that no matter where they are, people travel to their parents / grandparents place specifically to spend the day with their family. I did not have all my family with me (I missed them all so very much and I wished they could have been with me), however, I was fortunate to have my significant other with me and so I wanted to make it special for us, especially so since it was our first thanksgiving. So I planned to prepare a grand thanksgiving lunch, but without the….. Turkey (Cooking a whole turkey would just be too much food for two people).

So I set down with great enthusiasm to prepare a meal fit for a king (wink wink ;)). This was the menu – Chicken Fried Rice, Stir Fried Beef with Broccoli, Spicy Lamb Chops, Fried Tilapia and for dessert it was Vanilla Cake..yum yum !!! I started cooking the evening before Thanksgiving, just to manage my time slightly better..and thankfully I managed to get them all done on time. I was so excited at the meal I had prepared and I was waiting to dig in, hoping that the food would taste as good as it looked….and you bet….it sure did :).

So that was my first Thanksgiving and I enjoyed planning and preparing for the Thanksgiving meal. And at this time of Thanksgiving, I want to thank everyone who has been a significant part of my life – My Husband (who puts up with me every single day), My Mom (A source of Unconditional Love and My pillar of strength), My Brother ( I miss you, although we fought so very much as kids), My In-laws ( Mom and Dad – I could not have asked for anyone better…thank you both for your love), My Sister-in-law and her family (A loving family, and I miss my naughty little nephew), my special friends (thanks for your prayers and for loving me for what I am), other caring family members (thank you all for your love), my teachers (thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement).

I would not be doing justice, if I do not thank my loving God - Jesus Christ for all He is and all He has done for me. He is and will always continue to be the most important influence in my life…His unconditional Love, Grace and Mercies has led me all these days and I know His Faithfulness will continue to guide me. Thank you God!!!