Lots of people have thanksgiving traditions, like having family over, playing games, watching football and eating too much, the list can go on and on. Traditions are about comfort and doing what you have been doing most of your life, because it’s familiar. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do the same thing year after year but last year opened my eyes to a new tradition.
During the fall of my senior year of college I studied in Nashville, TN. It is a 15 hour drive from my home in MN. I still had some time left after Thanksgiving until the semester was over and I did not have money to drive all the way home and all the way back…and all the way home again.
So I went through some options in my head
A) Spend thanksgiving alone with a frozen pizza and an action movie (not bad but kinda lonely)
B) Beg some people fly out here (I’m in college, all my friends are just as poor as me)
C) See if anyone would let me come to their thanksgiving (I have only known these people for a couple months)
As it turns out one of my buddies lived in South Carolina and was driving home to be with his family, he invited me to come over and I thought it would be a great time! I was a little nervous. I was going to spend Thanksgiving with another family – a family that homeschooled their kids? It was different than my background, and they might have other weird family traditions!
God has a way of taking you places you never thought you would be with people you never thought you would meet. Then afterwards, you can’t imagine your life without it. One of my life verses is Proverbs 3:4-5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
Last year’s Thanksgiving was a blast. I was totally brought into this family and they welcomed me with open arms the whole time I was there. Because of their love, I want to start a new tradition for this time of year.
Spend Thanksgiving with a different family each year.
This year I’m going to Buffalo, NY (Lord Willing), to be with different friends.
What’s a tradition that you can start that will stretch your comfort zone?
Keagan Blancke is a 22 year old broadcasting graduate from University of Northwestern St. Paul. My motto is “it’s all about who you know” and the most important person you can know is Jesus. I would love to get to know you as well, making connections is always beneficial.
