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hanksgiving remains one of my favorite holidays. I know a large part of my fondness for this day is due to our parents always making it memorable. They embraced the spirit of the holiday through tradition and always reinforced the importance of faith, family, and friends. Traditions have the power to create important memories in our life-especially for our children
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TRADITIONS By Kay Drew
and grandchildren. Something as simple as saying grace together, helping prepare a family recipe, or crafting a small gift for guests can create happy moments they will cherish forever. I remember waking up early every year to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, a tradition I still enjoy. During the early sixties, our father surprised us by walking through the door with our first colored television on Thanksgiving. We ooh’d and ahh’d over all the massive balloons, floats, marching bands, and Broadway performances. I can also vividly recall the exquisite floral arrangements our mother created with the table setting for the Thanksgiving Day feast. She would gather greenery, fruit, and berries from our yard for her florals and then transform her foraged finds into exquisite southern eloquence. Saying grace, the offering of a simple blessing of thanks over a shared meal, was non-negotiable. It was a tradition that fused honor, respect, and faith with the ritual of
Clarksville Living
returning home and saying thank you for this time together to break bread one more time. Perhaps in a world that seems so unpredictable, the action of planning and pausing to ensure that timeless traditions and gratitude continue is even more important. It is the continuance of this healthy social exercise where face
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