This year Brandon and I hosted Thanksgiving. While cooking Thursday morning, I added up the times we've hosted Thanksgiving. This is our third hosting in Dushanbe, after hosting it in Baku twice and Utah once. Six doesn't sound like that many times, but it sure is a lot of cooking.
I have sadly realized that, unless we live somewhere near family, I will spend the the next three or probably four decades hosting Thanksgiving dinner. That was a little disheartening to realize, but I suppose I'm the one who decided to birth enough children that it practically requires a whole extra turkey just to feed us. Hosting pretty much comes with the territory if we ever want to eat dinner with anyone other than just ourselves.
To add insult to injury, when I was checking Facebook Thanksgiving evening after finishing the clean-up around seven, my older sister posted a picture of the beautiful Thanksgiving morning sail they had gone on at my aunt and uncle's house. The sail they took while someone else cooked the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, rolls, pies, and sweet potatoes.
I've hosted Thanksgivings overseas long enough to realize that the Thanksgivings of my youth - a day spent cooking with family, lazing around and watching movies afterward - are not the Thanksgivings of my adulthood. It turns out that most holidays are a lot better when someone else (the adults) is doing all the hard work. I like being an adult almost all of the time, but sometimes being a child really is a better gig.
But the children have gotten older and more useful, so I'm not the only one running the show these days, which is nice. They didn't do much cooking, but they did clean up the house, set the table, and scrub five kilos of potatoes. And after everyone left, the girls helped clear the table, put the food away, and wash the dishes. The value of children who are old enough to be truly helpful can never be underestimated. We were able to finish early enough for Brandon and I to relax and enjoy that most wonderful of Thanksgiving traditions - watching TV.
We did have a nice Thanksgiving, even if there weren't any sailboats in our day. We had two families over and had an enjoyable dinner together. The children mostly ate their food and then played nicely together so the adults could enjoy talking together. We had plenty of tasty food to enjoy with our good company and much to be grateful for. I didn't get around to taking pictures of our guests because we got too busy eating and having a good time together.
It's always good to have time to reflect on the blessings in our life, including having enough food that it takes two days to cook it and an hour and a half to clean it up. Also, dishwashers. But more importantly, friends and family to enjoy the day with.
Happy Thanksgiving!
