The Most Important Ingredient

It’s that time of year again! You’ve collected your family’s favorite recipes, some handed down from previous generations. You’ve double-checked the shopping list and are sure you have all the necessary ingredients.  

Ah! As the aroma of celery, onion, and other spices simmer on the stove, you close your eyes momentarily and take in the delectable aromas. You look forward to preparing the best meal possible for your family and friends.  

Some guests bring their favorite dishes to share, while others bring hearty appetites, ready to indulge in the meal you have worked so hard to prepare.

But sometimes recipes aren’t perfect, and neither are oven temperatures—or cooks. You’re not sure what happened, but the turkey wasn’t supposed to be dry, and the rolls weren’t supposed to turn dark brown on the bottom. It’s too late to do anything about it now.
  
Families aren’t perfect, either. Uncle Buzz had a few too many beers and yelled at Cousin for changing the channel on the football game.
 
Junior didn’t watch where he was going and spilled a can of red soda all over your new carpeting. During dinner, Aunt Rizzi bad-mouthed the meal for not being gluten-free (but she’d never informed anyone prior to Thanksgiving that she couldn’t have gluten).  

But no matter the kitchen glitches, behaviors of families or guests, ingredients in the recipes, or what dishes are served, one ingredient should stand out as the most important on this holiday: thankfulness.

Family dynamics can cause stress for some people. Times change, and relationships can change. Not one Thanksgiving is exactly like the next. Memories and longings can interfere with accepting present situations and circumstances.

However, despite the uncertainties and imperfections, we can do our best to appreciate what we have (and who we have) in our lives (including forgiveness for certain cooks and the Uncle Buzz’s, Juniors, and Aunt Rizzi’s of the world.
​
Thankfulness—it’s one thing we can keep at the top of our shopping list.
                                                               #
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” – 2 Corinthians 9:11
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of the lips that acknowledge his name.” – Hebrews 13:15

​Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com
 

---