Giving Thanks for Family

This year, for the first time, my family celebrated Thanksgiving early. We started Sunday morning at St. Paul AME Church, our family’s church home, for the baptism of two of our newest family members: Carter Wilson and Journee Collins. Our family and close friends filled close to six pews in the small sanctuary. Once we arrived at my parents’ house after the service, our ranks swelled to about 80, primarily family with a few close friends.

It was a pleasure to spend time with my extended family. It’s something we don’t do very often as such a large group. It is, however, why the holidays are such a special time.

Each year on Thanksgiving we would spend the day at my Uncle Dexter’s house in west Los Angeles. It was a traditional scene: the women in the kitchen, the men watching football, and the children occupying ourselves by playing games, playing outside when the weather permitted, and sneaking a taste of turkey here or macaroni & cheese there. However, before blessing the food and piling it up on our plates, we paused to remember those who came before us, the members of our family who passed on. In a ceremony led by our Aunt Addie (who wasn’t really our aunt, but that’s another story), we would stand in a circle holding hands and take turns saying the name of a family member who died and pour libations to honor their memory.

This year, instead of our traditional circle, we gathered around my dad’s computer in much smaller groups and looked at pictures from our past holidays and photos from our family vacations to my father’s home in North Carolina. If we didn’t recognize someone he would tell us who they are and how we are related. It was clearly an important exercise in passing down the family history.

While glancing through the hundreds of photos, one in particular caught my attention. It was a photo taken 40 years ago with my cousins: Floyd, Reggie and Jeff, and my sister Lynn Renee. We were bright-eyed kids who no doubt had just finished playing some game running around the house (I can tell from my unruly afro-puffs), and stopped to pose for a picture. I liked the picture because it instantly took me back to a time in my life that was pure joy. And it reminded me why I’ve always liked Thanksgiving. It is a time to not only enjoy family and friends but to reflect on just how much they mean to us. And in honor of that memory, we re-took the picture. Perhaps we’ll all still be here in another 40 years so we can pose once again.

This Thanksgiving enjoy your family, enjoy your friends, and remember to give thanks for all the wonderful people who are in your life. I know I will.