Pizza Anyone?

My wife always smiles whenever I call something a tradition. In my mind, if our family does something twice, it's officially become a tradition. I contribute this to the fact that my first ten Thanksgivings were spent with ten different families in ten different homes. And, the memories surrounding those Thanksgivings are not ones I enjoy remembering. So, needless to say I work very hard to make sure that my kids have very different memories of their childhood Thanksgivings.

The past 10 years or so we have made it a tradition to spend Thanksgiving with Tara's parent's. I feel like I won the lottery when my wife, Tara, agreed to marry me. I've always heard that you're not just marrying the person, but their family. And, I have to tell you, I got a good one! Not only is Tara more than everything I could have ever dreamed in a wife, but her family is nothing short of amazing. Their love for each other has made Thanksgiving something our whole family gets really excited about each year. Just thinking about it, I can already smell the turkey. Hands down, my favorite meal of the entire year! Tara's parents work very hard to make it a very special day for each of us. And, it's yet to disappoint.

However, last Thanksgiving almost didn't happen at all. Thanksgiving morning as we were rolling out of bed, Tara's parents called and suggested we not come over. They had been up all night with the stomach flu. They offered us all the food, but, not wanting to take any chance of getting sick, we declined.

My mind began to race. What could we do? Sure, we felt bad for Tara's parents and prayed for a speedy recovery, but how could we salvage the day? Tara's brother and his family decided to come on over to our house and after much deliberation, we decided the best course of action was to simply order a pizza. Mainly, because the only place open within a short driving distance was a gas station down the road that served pizza. I was okay with this, but slightly concerned that this may be a blemish on our kid's perfect Thanksgiving tradition record. Well, needless to say, the kids weren't phased at all by the change in plans. In fact, they talk about it as though it was a highlight of 2009.

The experience also reinforced some things God's been teaching me. I was reminded to be careful not to spend so much of my time concerned about building great memories that I miss the truly great memory opportunities. It's not about how perfect everything is set around you, but the love you have for each other. Sure, we're all excited about having a real Thanksgiving meal this year, but the funny thing is that last year's pizza Thanksgiving will be the one that stands out 25, 50 years from now.

I have several dear friends whose Thanksgiving will be quite different this year. And, for them, it goes far beyond the stomach flu. Maybe you, too, will not be celebrating your traditional Thanksgiving. Maybe, like my friends, this Thanksgiving will be filled with pain of what once was. My prayer is that, even though this Thanksgiving will not be quite the same, God meets you where you are and reminds you of just how much you mean to HIM.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If I can be praying for you, please don't hesitate to let me know; joeb@newlifemedia.org


Joe Buchanan serves New Life Media as Network Music Director.www.newlifemedia.org(WBGL,WIBI & WCIC)
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