Thanksgiving week. My mind wanders back across the years and the miles. We’ve made some memories.
Turkeys in Shikarpur
In November 1997 we traveled from Karachi to Shikarpur (Pakistan) and spent a few days with our friends living there. They’d happened upon two turkeys out in a rural area and were fattening them up for a Thanksgiving feast.
FYI, turkeys gobble-gobble in Pakistan too.
The day before we left was the end of the road for those birds. A fascinating process for our children to watch. A little too much for me.
And who knew that turkey intestines were so versatile? I’ll spare you the details, but all the kids were playing on the flat roof and discovering just how far turkey guts stretch.
Celebrating Thanksgiving overseas
We celebrated Thanksgiving overseas in five different countries. Made close-to-familiar holiday food from local ingredients. One of our family favorites is Apple Cornbread Stuffing–and the biggest challenge was finding cornmeal to make the cornbread. Or sage for the seasoning.
Yes, sometimes the dishes tasted or looked a little different. Like our friend Barb’s sweet potato casserole one year.
Karachi sweet potatoes were white or light yellow. After she’d mashed them, the potatoes “just didn’t look Thanksgiving-y enough.”
So she dyed them orange.
That casserole absolutely glowed. Fluorescent orange. It still makes me laugh.
But it was delicious.
Friends like family
We invited friends over or joined them at their table. Friends who were like family. And new friends, some spending Thanksgiving away from home for the first time.
During holiday seasons across the ocean, you feel the distance more than usual. But a good meal, shared stories, laughter and games—maybe a jigsaw puzzle—these are comforting. And help fill that empty space.
This year
This Thanksgiving we’re back in America. Where frozen turkeys are on sale for 39 cents a pound. A far cry from the $50 to $100-per-turkey price tag we saw overseas.
We will gather again with family, friends, and new friends. Giving thanks to the Lord, the Giver of all good gifts.
The sweet potato casserole will not be fluorescent, but we’ll make memories.
I’m sure of it.
What about you?
What are some of your special Thanksgiving memories? What helps you when distance or loss make the holidays more difficult?
Giving thanks
On a personal note, this is blogpost #52. Last year I took a deep breath and plunged into something new. Practicing the discipline of writing everyday and publishing a blogpost every week.
I have learned much. Above all, that without Christ I can do nothing.
Thank you for reading.
16 replies on “Thanksgiving”
I certainly hope that just because you have reached #52 that you don’t plan on stopping writing and sharing!!
Charlotte
Thank you. I plan to continue learning and writing. It’s been a challenge but also a joy to trust Him in this, step by step.
Dear Sus, I too have loved your posts and hope that you will continue to share with us from your experiences near and far. I’m learning so much. One of the funniest Thanksgiving memories overseas was when our neighbor (a colleague and wonderful cook) went to pick up the turkey she had ordered and didn’t realize that it wouldn’t be in a package, but rather that she would have to choose it from among the live turkeys running around in the yard, and watch all that you have so vividly described in order to have her turkey dinner. Then she brought it home and her oven was too small, so she brought it over to our house to cook 🙂 Whether we were overseas or at home, our favorite part of Thanksgiving was being with those we loved, enjoying good food and fellowship and thanking Father for His faithfulness. If you’re feeling lonely, always remember, there’s someone who would love to celebrate Thanksgiving with you! “Happy Thanksgiving”
Thank you for sharing this story, Kris 😂. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, sister!
Susan, One year we were all gathered at the Gilliland house in Kediri for Thanksgiving Many friends from the town and community sent large arrangements of flowers. We had so many we lined them up on the around the room. Along with good food and great fellowship, we pretended we had the rose bowl parade with all our flowers.
Great memories.
What a fun memory! Thank you for sharing 😊
Susan, I love reading your stories. We had the same “white” sweet potatoes. At Thanksgiving the first year I served them “white” ( actually they turned a little greenish). Maybe a serving or two was eaten from the 9×12 dish. At Christmas, I used the same kind of potatoes & the same recipe, served to the same group of family and friends, but I managed a mixture of red & yellow food coloring and they came out looking like South Carolina sweet potato casserole. Every bite was eaten as everyone kept asking where did those potatoes come from. From the local market, of course! I finally had to share my secret! Happy Thanksgiving!
I read this aloud to Todd and we had a good laugh😂. Thanks for sharing your story! Happy Thanksgiving.
So many memories. First of all, Thanksgiving was often the time in the USA where I would spend with a college friend or other friends and not be at home. Which was interesting–to see other people’s traditions. Then when it was just us friends, how we did it.
Overseas, It’s different every year. Some years it’s a lot of people, some just a few. We don’t always have turkey, but chicken works well. My dish is always green bean casserole. Sometimes I fry bits of onion for it and sometimes I crumble up potato chips! Usually someone else makes the turkey. However, one year the university gave us a small turkey. I decided to cook it in my small oven. Mara had come over to spend the night so we could wake up early to watch the Alabama Auburn game at 7:00am and cook the turkey. (We were celebrating Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving when we had time.) That’s been my only experience. Didn’t realize it took so much basting!! Also, we don’t have any kind of sweet potatoes so Mara started making carrot souffle and it worked okay for the sweet potato casserole.
So this year we aren’t really celebrating it. It’s a normal work day and most of us are tired and there are a lot of holidays in December here. So I’m kind of sad. But I think I’ll make some green bean casserole and pumpkin bread to share with friends.
Thankful for you, Jul. Grace and peace to you.
Thanks for this post! For me, this year’s Thanksgiving was the busiest with four gatherings. I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t want any mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, or green beans for quite a while! Hosting my local friends for two of those gatherings was so fun. I love seeing folks try American dishes for the first time! Sometimes a success … sometimes not …
Wow. Four Thanksgiving gatherings! You win the prize, friend 😂
Hello. I was browsing today. The words that grabbed me were “the day in 1963 when ashes fell in Surabaja…”. I remember the day! I was there, but I was in Kediri. It was mid/day and the roosters were crowing. Someone said it must be the end of the world. Certainly an unforgettable day. My husband was a doctor at the Baptist Hospital. I’m retired now, living in the Houston Tx metro area. Would enjoy joining your blog. Good wishes. Virginia Owen
Aunt Virginia! Yes, please join. There’s a place to subscribe on the blog page. Just enter your email there😊. In case you don’t know, my parents are John and Glenn I.
Thanks Susan for keeping on, keeping on…..When someone says “write……..” I run the other way! You always give me encouragement or a challenge. Thanks!
Thanks, Carolyn. Grace to you in this season, sister.