Last weekend, we gathered as a family to celebrate Thanksgiving. A holiday that’s quickly becoming one of my favourites, after Christmas, of course. In fact, it’s the perfect way to prime and prepare our hearts as we approach the holiday season - all about food, family, gratitude, and joy.

This Thanksgiving was particularly memorable for me. Due to COVID-19, it was the first year I’ve been home to celebrate the holiday since getting married over the Thanksgiving weekend 5 years ago. Will and I vowed to celebrate our wedding anniversary somewhere around the world every year. The first anniversary was from the magical city of Paris. The year after that was spent driving through the vast plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Then came Brazil, exploring the colourful streets and pristine beaches of Rio de Janeiro. And last year, oddly enough, we spent our fourth wedding anniversary dining at a lively rooftop restaurant in Lahore, Pakistan, overlooking the beautiful, ancient Badshahi Masjid. All unforgettable, incredible moments and memories, but, ones that have come at the expense of something so simple, easy to overlook, and take for granted - gathering around a table to share a meal with family. And, taking the opportunity to to give thanks to the One who formed the warms waters of Ipanema Beach, who inspired the culinary genius that went into creating the perfect Caramel Beurre Salé macaron in Paris, and the One who directs to migration across the continent of the wild beasts of Africa.

The coronavirus has brought us all to a standstill - forced us to slow down long enough to appreciate the beauty and be grateful for everything that was, everything that is, and to anticipate with joy all that is yet to come. At least, that’s what this Thanksgiving meant for me this year. Is it wrong to travel the world, seek the adventure of the unknown, or to leave home in search of something else? Not at all! But, when you’re running away from something, that’s where the trouble comes in. And, though I wouldn’t say I wasn’t ever running away from my life at home, this season has led me to a true place of gratitude for that which I do have - a growing family that loves me, a roof over my head, and the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity in a country that my family has had the blessing of calling home.

And, when this virus is behind us, and the world settles back into “normal”, I’m pondering whether I might reconsider the way I’ve structured my life. Should I trade in the boarding passes, hotel check-ins, and layovers for more time spent at home during the Fall? To take my time to enjoy the crisp, cool air that settles in at this time of year. To walk along trails, hearing the leaves crunching beneath my feet, seeing the vibrant, fiery colours filling the space above me, and revel in the sights, smells, and sounds of this season. It’s something I’m putting some serious thought into, and navigating how to restructure our annual plans and schedules even after all of this uncertainty ends, which it will.

After the tumultuous year it’s been, this Thanksgiving was everything I needed, despite the restrictions that are still in place. Between an all-hands-on-deck dinner with my family, to celebrating a relaxing, intimate anniversary with my husband at the hotel we got married in, to spending time in nature with my husband’s family, we were able to truly unwind and dial in with the people who mean the most to us. And, though I don’t know what next year will look like - if we’ll be home to share a similar experience. I do know that the gratitude and joy that this year’s most random, and unexpected Thanksgiving brought, the memories that were made and captured, will stay with me forever.