"They Should Know It's Turkey Day, Not Goat Meat Day" #LoveontheMenu
Each year in America we gather around the table for the one holiday that supports gluttony, as we count our blessings, and recant what we’re thankful for. Naturally, as a maturing family, there are traditions that are gradually phased out. Now, as two of my siblings prepare for their nuptials, I look around the kitchen and the dining table, and remind myself that in just a couple of weeks, nothing will ever be the same.
My sister and I, as the lead maidens of the household, uphold the bulk of our Thanksgiving feast. She prepares her famous corn bread recipe and Nigerian salad each year, before blessing our stomachs with a rendition of potatoes (sweet, white, or both), and cranberries. As of recent, she has absorbed the responsibilities of the honey ham, and sometimes myself, which is a former responsibility of my brother. I, of course, take on the main attraction: the turkey. I am known around these parts for my juicy, succulent, yet crispy bird, and my incomparable stuffing. (It’s a secret recipe, don’t ask.) My mother prepares the jollof rice, she fries the goat, and boils the moi moi. Typically, we feature a handful of unique menu items or libations, but it truly just depends on our mood!
Change is natural, and when I was younger I used to be so afraid of what would happen to our family home as we got older and started families of our own, or simply developed lives our own. As the youngest in my family, and youngest of my generation of cousins, family is all I knew. We spent a majority of our time together. Selfishly now, it’s easier for me to inflict change than it is for me to watch them do so.
As my mother answers an endless wave of phone calls, and she realizes we’re going to host a lot more people than expected, I see that not much has truly changed. As we prepare for more, and my sister questions whether we have enough goat meat for our prodding hands of fried goat meat lovers, my mother reminds us of the above, “They should know It's Turkey Day, not Goat Meat Day,” rephrasing that our last minute efforts for our last minute guests are typically more than enough. (We did have two turkeys prepared two different ways- they were okay!)
2019 brought so much to be thankful for. (I write this in past tense because I am putting a cap on 2019. lol. I want to leave the year on a high note. December is my ‘19-’20 purgatory month). Love was on the menu, friendship, laughter, surprises, journeys, money, and so much more. Although it feels like 2019 flew by, I honestly had very low expectations for 2019. Not even in a negative way, I just didn’t foresee anything spectacular or out of the ordinary in my purview. I think that’s what made 2019 so special. I met people who I know are critical additions in my life, I lost people who no longer earned a place in my life, and my eyes were open to what the Lord chose to reveal.
While change in my family home isn’t always the most exciting part of my day, change happens around me each and every single day. And, honestly, I prefer it. As we create new traditions and welcome new family members, we create something unique to our adulthood that we can continue to look forward to. We may not be able to celebrate with a house full of both sides of the family, or even all of my siblings. However, it makes me look forward to the moments we do have together, and the huge celebrations we have to look forward to soon.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYBODY! XX
My newest addition to the family, Beatrix!