Coming Home — Ad Astra per Aspera

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. For all of my adult life, I have preferred the quiet joy that the fourth Thursday in November brings over the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Over the years, my family built traditions that give me a moment of rest in this busy world and resonate with my soul.

As a young adult, Thanksgiving meant going home - to my mom’s, my dad’s, or my in-law’s - and being welcomed. Everyone pitched in for the meal, we often played games or found time to just sit and visit, and there was no expectation for the day other than to enjoy the food and each other. I remember navigating the tricky allocation of holidays early in my marriage, and discovering that having three families who loved us and wanted to share our time made me worried for only a moment, until it was clear that each understood the importance of us sharing quality time where we were and that a rotating schedule was going to work out just fine.

As a parent, Thanksgiving meant a holiday that didn’t have an anxiety-provoking lead-up. No gifts to buy, no house to decorate, just time with kids out of school to enjoy as a family. And my kids were (and are) foodies! What a perfect opportunity to share with them the traditional dishes of our families and create new food traditions as we began to host some, then all, of those Thanksgiving meals in our own home. Fourteen years ago, shortly after we moved to Plainville, a local tradition began - the Turkey Trot. This 3.5 mile walk/run to benefit the community and hospital is held on Thanksgiving morning each year, rain or shine, snow or wind (almost always wind!), and launches our current Thanksgiving tradition. There is no better way to prepare for a day of eating than to exercise with your family and neighbors!

This year I noticed a new emotion as I think about the holiday: excited anticipation. We launched our second child to college last fall, so the ratio of those who live far away vs. those who live at home is now 2:1, and both boys are making the return trip to Plainville for Thanksgiving. I will have the delicious joy of having all of my children sleeping under my roof for most of the week. I will wake each morning knowing I will see them during the day, and go to bed having given them more hugs than they wanted and less than I wished. This year, I am the parent whose children are coming home.