Thanksgiving

Today was our official Thanksgiving.

Morgan's family, Becca's family and Erin's family arrived between 4 and 5:00, heavy laden with food. City Shop delivered a roast turkey with a side of gravy in the same time frame. I'd spent the past few days making pies. I bought a few extra plates and wine glasses, we used an odd mix of forks with no spoons, and everyone shared a lovely Thanksgiving.

And I'll admit, it felt like Thanksgiving. The homemade food, the kids running around, the babies screaming, and the warmth of a home made a much more enjoyable Thanksgiving than last year's foray at Moon River Diner. The restaurant Thanksgiving is not worth it - on Thursday this year, we ordered Indian food in ironic unobservance.

The friends Thanksgiving is a close second to family. Sharing each other's traditions and each other's conversations is sweet. Erin's family arrived only a few months ago, and Becca's family will leave in a few weeks. Sharing of those experiences and plans makes for interesting conversation, but sharing a traditional meal with new friends has a sweet potency. The pieces are the same - right down to the green bean casserole - even though our histories vary tremendously. And the conversation around the table as we ate pie directly out of the pie plates could not be created amongst people you've known your whole life.

No doubt this Thanksgiving was better than last. This Thanksgiving, we have much to be thankful for. The friends we have made, and continue to make here in Shanghai are an amazing blessing. We are surrounded by wonderful, interesting and open people and I've formed some wonderfully close friendships. At the end of our Thanksgiving day, I feel happy and content.

But all things considered, I would still choose Thanksgiving on a chilly midwestern day in the family house, smell of turkey cooking all morning, an oven brimming with stuffing and plenty of rolls, and the same people at the table who've been there every year for as long as I can remember. The steady presence of family and those unchanging traditions are certainly worth being thankful for - even when we can't all share the same turkey.