Like
most parents, I hoped my daughter (Allena) remembered some of the special traditions
her mom and I celebrated through the years when she was a teenager. You know
your adult child has finally paid attention (to your ramblings) when she writes
on a college paper about a familiar, cherished holiday routine. (Here it is
without delay or editing):[i]
Traditions are something we all have.
People have many holiday traditions such as reading the Christmas story on
Christmas morning or watching the Polar
Express during December. Traditions can
make people happy or bring up good memories, which in the end make them keep
repeating these traditions.
My
family has a tradition of having Manicotti for Christmas dinner instead of
having a turkey or ham. The reason we do this is because my father is diabetic
and turkey makes him sit down on the couch, close his eyes, and slowly drift
off to sleep.
Our tradition starts out with a trip to
Kroger’s a few days before Christmas to purchase all the ingredients because of
the lack of supplies for the dish at home. I love my mom even though we butt
heads sometimes and grocery shopping is something that my mom and I always do
together. Our grocery shopping trips are one of my favorite times because we
get to get out of the house. My father likes to watch Netflix and tends to eat
all day long.
This, in the end, makes us want to eat
constantly which isn’t healthy. So, our way of not doing that is by getting out
of the house. It is the time we have alone with each other; the time where we
spill all of our problems.
If you were to listen to us talk and be
around each other, you would be able to tell we have a lot in common. We have a
lot of the same characteristics such as a huge caring heart, and also having a
passion to do ministry. In a way, I am a miniature her living out our dreams.
While we vent, we roam up and down the
crowded aisles of the grocery to find our supplies. The sound of babies crying
and people talking fill our ears as we walk. The ingredients we are in search
of are: tomato sauce, manicotti shells, ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella
cheese, ground beef, and a blend of Italian herbs.
There are not many ingredients that are
needed for this dish, making it simple to make. Usually, our trip takes an hour
to accomplish even though for that list of groceries, it would usually take
less time. We like to take time and look at the options we have, choosing the
most flavorful ingredients for our dish.
When we
get home from the store, I start to unload all the groceries from the trunk of
the car. This usually involves me fitting all the grocery bags on both of my
arms to try and make one trip from the car to the kitchen. Neither of us is
exceptionally strong physically, but we can be strong emotionally. My mom has
been through a lot in her life, but she has gotten through all of it and is
still kicking butt today. This is a major reason why she is one of my biggest
role models in my life.
Completing the process of laying all the
ingredients on the countertop, we start to gather the supplies we will need
from the cabinets. Following the process of collecting all the things we need,
we wash our hands and then begin to start the cooking process.
Together, we open the ground beef package,
place it into the frying pan and watch its color change. Meanwhile, my mom and
I prepare the other ingredients, adding different spices to produce a bold
flavor. Then, we put it all together, add a layer of tomato sauce and cheese,
and place it in the oven to bake it for forty-five minutes to an hour.
The next
forty-five minutes to an hour, my mom and I spend more time together by bonding
over episodes of Netflix or a board game of choice. This is the part that tends
to drag on for a large amount of time.
The baking process is very important
because it allows the spices to infuse to the hot bubbly sauce, and for the
cheese to brown. While the dish gets hot, this time
brings us closer together which in the end makes more memories that will last a
lifetime.
The
dish will always bring back memories whenever I eat it. It tastes like home,
and it is one of my favorite dishes that my mom and I have made. The
combination of the mild but creamy flavor of the ricotta cheese with the
boldness of the herb infused tomato sauce makes this dish worth the time and
effort that went into making it.
I will cherish these moments with my mom
when she’s gone, even the silly ones that make us laugh.[ii] This, in the end, is why I will forever choose
manicotti over turkey. [iii]
"Gratitude
is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse
to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse."[iv]
[i] The title of this post is adapted from a quote by WT
Purkiser:
"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true
measure of our thanksgiving."
[ii] “Manicotti vs. Turkey“ my daughter’s English
Composition 2 paper at Ohio Christian University, Circleville, OH (2/20/17) got
149/150 grade (Allena enjoys writing as much as I do blogging.)
[iii] Here is an upcoming feast of biblical
proportions: Then I heard what sounded like a great many people,
like the noise of flooding water, and like the noise of loud thunder. The
people were saying: “Hallelujah! Our Lord God, the Almighty, rules. Let
us rejoice and be happy and give God glory, because the wedding of the Lamb has
come, and the Lamb’s bride has made herself ready.
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