Thanksgiving 2013

CEBU, Philippines - In today's materialistic, fast- paced society, time honored traditions that are repeatedly celebrated year after year sometimes lose their true meaning and significance.

Our family and close friends through the years have tried to uphold the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness by celebrating Thanksgiving  which began ages ago as a practice to celebrate the harvest of the year and thank the higher forces for the bounty bestowed on them.

American Thanksgiving which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of  November is a holiday for gratitude and  a time to be thankful for everything we have been given despite the many incessant calamities and natural disasters we have experienced  which have resulted  in loss of lives, property and  livelihood.

Before dinner, my husband, Glenn, shared some meaningful thoughts on gratitude which is  a recognition that the world is with us, for us and not against us as we sometimes feel. It is an awareness of all the people and things that contribute to make our lives better and more pleasant. Dear friends  Cheling  Sala, Mayen Tan and John Domingo likewise  read some   lines from a Native American Prayer giving  thanks to the Great Spirit for Mother Earth and her Sacred gifts.

Once again friends  Elizabeth Sy and Nes Jardin flew in from Manila to join us for the occasion. Restaurateur and home gourmand Freddie Alquiros, a long- time resident of Baguio graciously cooked  the creamy and smooth pumpkin soup with bits of bacon, masterfully prepared the classic Ceasar salad,  roasted the well-seasoned, succulent turkey  and baked the rich and tasty  dessert for the holidays, food for the Gods  paired with  queso Manchego, the best sheep's milk cheese from Spain. Other traditional Thanksgiving dishes included cranberry sauce, baked potatos, sweet ham and steamed fish in green sauce.

Friends of long standing such as interior designer  Rosebud Sala,  Susan  Sala,  statuesque international stewardess, Patricia Garcia,  Maria Domingo,  captain  Alan Mill Irving and his better half Lisa,  wine connoisseur  Margie Taylor, Cebu's top pediatrician Vivina Chiu,  bubbly Lisette Garcia and gentleman farmer Paking Serafica were also present . My siblings Edu, Ramon and Lehn and  our only child Eduard completed the guest  list.

Thanksgiving, what an appropriate theme for an evening with family and close friends. Its importance and significance cannot be over emphasized. Find a special day, celebrate with family and friends and spread the spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude. Promote and develop "an attitude of gratitude" that popular inspirational phrase of today's self-help books. It will surely transform and elevate your life to new levels of generosity, peace and harmony as a truly loving human being. (FREEMAN)