Thanksgiving!

    In my house, Thanksgiving has always been something that we have participated in, however, the first Thanksgiving I can remember I was about 6-7 years old. The reason I remember this was because it was the only Thanksgiving without my mom. I am an only child and my mom raised me as a single mother my entire life. We lived with my grandparents and aunts and were planning a huge feast. During this time, my mother had gotten very sick. On Thanksgiving Day she was admitted to the hospital and they understood that she was allergic and having complications from an antibiotic that she had recently taken. I remember standing in her hospital room and looking at her pale face as she passed out and had doctors and nurses run over. I was escorted out by my aunt, and we went home. 

            At home, everyone pretended everything was fine. We sat at the table and started eating. I couldn’t get my mom out of my head. She loved Thanksgiving, we all did. The food and the warm vibes just made us all happy. We would always throw on a movie and hang out after stuffing our faces. I couldn’t stop thinking about my mom. Was she OK? Was she going to come home soon? Was she going to be upset that she missed Thanksgiving? 

At 6 years old, I was watching Nickelodeon and they were airing all the Thanksgiving episodes of popular shows. That is when I saw an episode of Friends in which they made a thanksgiving leftovers sandwich. I knew then and there that I was going to make one and surprise my mom. 

I gathered my aunts and had them assist me, we took two slices of bread and started adding all the ingredients from dinner. We started with a cranberry base, added turkey, brussel sprouts, stuffing, and sweet potatoes, and collected a small container of gravy on the side to ensure it wouldn’t get soggy. We packed it up and put it in the fridge ready to go for the next day. I could barely sleep at night worrying about my mom but was also so excited she would get to be a part of the holiday even though she was sick.

At 8 A.M. the next day, we got in the car and went to see her. She was doing much better and was so excited to see me. Although she was weak, she gave me the biggest hug and the adults all spoke for a minute before I took the sandwich and little container out of my aunt's bag and held it up to her face. She looked at my aunts who were all smiling, and I immediately started explaining what it was as best I could. 

She started crying. She hugged me and took the sandwich and opened it up. We split the sandwich with me in her lap and enjoyed every bite. 

Ever since that year, we have made this sandwich as a little tradition to enjoy on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It has been 16 years of us gathering in the kitchen after a heavy meal and passing pans of food around to make the perfect sandwich. Sometimes we add new things such as mac n cheese, corn, or apple slices to spice it up. Regardless, of what we add to the already perfect sandwich, the memory always remains and is always going to be one of my favorite traditions. I cannot wait to continue this tradition this year, and for many years and hope to share this with my children one day. I can’t wait for my mom to get to make this sandwich with her grandchildren one day.