This past Thursday marked the first major holiday since I left the USA in August, and it was definitely a new experience.
First of all, this was my first Thanksgiving away from my family and our traditions. And I guess I missed them a little bit. (Love you guys). None of my mom’s special mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. No sitting between my brother and sister at the dining room table in small town, NM. No watching my dad carve the turkey or watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my mom. In fact, I think it’s the first time in my life that I didn’t watch at least part of the parade. Then to top it all off, was the weather. I skyped my family earlier this week, and they were all wearing sweatshirts and jackets (You know, typical fall attire). But I was slightly taken aback. I was sweating in my shorts and T-shirt. My Thanksgiving Day featured 85 degree weather.
I hope none of this sounds ungrateful. Because I still had a wonderful, if different, holiday. But a few things remained the same. I was able to see the Vikings/Lions game, complete with Spanish-speaking commentators. I did spend the holiday with family, though I only met this family in June (Love you, V-Squad). And we were blessed with a full, traditional Thanksgiving dinner. And if that weren’t enough, our host here in Nicaragua is from New Mexico, and she dug into her secret stash to make a RED CHILE GLAZED HAM!!!!!!! I realize that if you’re not New Mexican, you won’t realize just how big a deal this is, but I really can’t emphasize enough how happy this made me. The seven exclamation points I used are sadly insufficient to express my excitement.
But suffice it to say, even though my holiday was lacking some things it usually has, I found plenty of reasons to be thankful.
Celebrating Thanksgiving in Nicaragua was kind of funny, because we gringos were the only ones making a big deal out of it. To the people of Nicaragua, it was just another Thursday. And I realized, when it comes down to it, it is just another Thursday. But it’s the Thursday that God has graciously given us. And we really don’t have to wait for our government to officially recognize a specific day to acknowledge the things we are thankful for. And we definitely shouldn’t save it all for one day per year.
So, allow me to take the time to say I’m thankful for you. Whether you’re a blood relative, a fellow World Racer, a part of my church family, an old coworker, a friend, a red chile ham, or even if you fit none of these categories, thank you for being, in some way shape or form, a part of my life. I’m glad God placed you there.
Now Thanksgiving is over, but the giving thanks is not. And for that, I’m thankful.
