Guest Author - Paula Petrie

Thanksgiving in Canada is the tradition of showing joy and gratitude for a bountiful harvest, and sharing with others. Honored by creating a warm spirit through sharing a special meal, and the family/friends commitment to bring their hearts. If the timing is right, forgetting about everything and enjoying good food and great company, makes a wonderful holiday.

But, tradition is sometimes inconvient. Trying to quiet your life enough to make a nice family holiday. Affording the amount and types of food needed to support a family feast. Finding the energy to put forth that special effort, or getting to the homes of all the relatives who want to offer you food, in exchange for time. For some people, holidays border on the spiritual. For others, holidays are just another day, except for the inconvenience of business closures, and sometimes relatives.

So, I started wondering if family traditions are more about habit than a greater meaning? What are we trying to pass on. Togetherness, respect for the past, recipes? Or is there really something more fundamental in these practices?

Yes, for many the meaning of the holiday has dulled. The burden of holiday commitments and increased responsibilities just adds pressure or stress. This leaves even less time to find a healthy perspective with the sharing and caring aspect. Holidays have become their own vicious circle.

But, this twist of irony is also why tradition is important. As our lives change through the years, including where we live, how well we can afford to live, or coping with loss of loved ones; traditions old and new, brings us back to a fundamental rootedness. Like it or not, we sip the bitter wine and pause. We connect with the past. We feel ourselves growing into the future. I believe this venerability strengthens our lives, and gives us the opportunity to strengthen our family ties.

And satisfies the soul part, connected to our taste buds. Within our family, we do have a turkey dinner with all the fixings and decedent desserts. This is mainly thanks to my mom, who says holidays are about the food. For me, although I appreciate the tasty meal, Thanksgiving has become a celebration of our glorious Autumn. Hikes, surrounded by the splendid Fall colors, crisp air, and of course, family.

In grade school our teachers would ask us to record what we were thankful for. This year I would say, “As much as I can remember to be.”