I texted my daughter, who lives two states away, to ask what she is most looking forward to when she comes home for Thanksgiving.
“Cooking with you and drinking coffee in the kitchen and watching the Thanksgiving day parade,” she said without hestitation. “And not being at work…”
We can do that! I replied.
She wasn’t finished. “I love your stuffing !!!! And turkey sandwiches with Aunt Lynda’s famous mayo…lol!” (My sister Lynda was famous for how she slathered a spoonful of mayonnaise on every bite of leftover turkey.)
“And then playing games and eating pie for breakfast the next morning with coffee. You know, Mom, pie for breakfast is my favorite.”
I did not know that. What kind of pie? (I was hoping she’d say pumpkin.)
“Pumpkin. Not a pecan fan unless you want your blood sugar to hit the charts, lol! I’ll stick with my pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.”
I didn’t tell her that according to Starbucks, a 16-ounce “Grande” pumpkin spice latte made with 2% reduced fat milk contains 390 calories and 50 grams of sugar (that’s 12 teaspoons) and 14 grams of fat. In its defense, it does have a fair amount of protein (14 grams) from the milk.
Not much different than a slice of homemade pumpkin pie (1/8 slice of a 9-inch pie) with 316 calories, 41 grams of carbs (equivalent to 10 teaspoons of sugar) and about half the protein of the latte, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Data Central.
But the holiday is not all about food, is it? And sometimes it doesn’t seem like much has changed in the 160 years since President Abraham Lincoln first proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving.
The United States was in the midst of the Civil War. Brothers were killing brothers. And many thought the country would soon collapse.
Yet, “in the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity,” Lincoln recognized “the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.” He reminded Americans of blessings “which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come.”
And as he invited all Americans to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November “as a day of Thanksgiving and praise,” he fervently implored God’s hand “to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it … to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”
Later in the day, my daughter added to her list. “Oh, can we go riding?” (We have horses on our ranch.) “I love riding with you.”
So we plan to do just that. And in the midst of the turmoil and controversy in this world, I know it will be just what we need.
I pray this Thanksgiving will be a special day of reflection and gratitude for you as well.
Barbara Quinn-Intermill is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator affiliated with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. She is the author of “Quinn-Essential Nutrition” (Westbow Press, 2015). Email her at to [email protected].
