Thanksgiving and the true gift of traditions

When my siblings and I were growing up, our mother had great go-to phrases when we complained about our sad lot in life. As soon as one of us started a pity party about how unfair life was, and how there are too many people in this family, she would say, “Who should we leave out, you?”

Our Thanksgiving tradition was an annual setting of the table, rooted in a dependable menu of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce (real berries, please), mashed potatoes, creamed onions, green beans, apple pie, pumpkin pie, apple cider, and plenty of time to enjoy all of it…