"This stuffing is so good. Can I have the recipe?"
Seems like a pretty normal question to hear at Thanksgiving dinner, right? I'd think so too, except the person who stated it in this particular case just so happens to have been four years old. Also, that little girl just so happens to have been me.
My family has always celebrated Thanksgiving every year at my great aunt Marilyn's house. As long as I can remember, I've thought she was the best cook ever.
Her cooking is so good, I even asked for one of her recipes when I was four years old.
Marilyn's cooking is only one of the many reasons I look forward to Thanksgiving every single year. However, good food isn't the only reason I love this holiday. Just seeing her, and the rest of my family, is another of the things I cherish most.
After eating our Thanksgiving feast, we all bundle up and embark on a walk through the corn fields of my great grandfather's old farm and onto the nearby train tracks. Every time we encounter a bridge, we name it after one of the cousins. By the end, we each have a couple bridges in our possession, knowing they will simply be renamed again next year.
Small traditions such as these are what make Thanksgiving, or any holiday for that matter, so incredibly special.
For this very reason, I find myself looking forward to Thanksgiving not just for the food, but for all the family traditions that are unique to us.
Sure, my aunt is an awesome cook - a quality four year old Emily could certainly attest to. Yet, this isn't the reason I am thankful for Thanksgiving.
I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for long walks. I'm thankful for train tracks. I'm thankful we've made this holiday our own.
I'm really thankful for Thanksgiving.