I confess that as a child I was not a big fan of some of the traditional parts of our Thanksgiving meal: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, etc. The one thing I did like was the stuffing. I have a lifelong love of herbs and spices. Still, love of stuffing does not a meal make. Thus, for many years, Thanksgiving was not a meal that elicited from me much of a spirit of thanks. I would have preferred pizza with pepperoni and onions.
Then one year, it all changed. Determined to make Thanksgiving work for me, I turned my dinner plate into a laboratory of avant-garde cuisine as I began to experiment with the various foods at my disposal. After having tested various concoctions, I finally arrived at my masterpiece: monster mash. Into one giant ball, I mixed together heaping portions of potatoes, gravy, turkey, and stuffing. Realizing that it was the stuffing that I craved, I added enough stuffing to make it dominate the flavor of every bite.
While members of my family may not appreciate the sight of my monster mash, I can now say that I have something on my Thanksgiving dinner plate for which I am truly thankful. This Thanksgiving I encourage each of you to find portions of your life for which you are thankful. At first, it can sometimes be difficult to recognize all the blessings on one’s plate, but with a little creativity and imagination where you once saw the tasteless fare of life, you will hopefully now discover a zestful work of art.