HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

It has truly been a blessed day here in London for this group of expats. We have been away from family and friends for a long time and to many of us Thanksgiving is all about being thankful with family. With that in mind, Keri has been working for days to create a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner complete with all the expected foods. Friends have sent cornmeal, we tracked down pumpkin for pies at Waitrose, a wonderful nearby store, lots of turkey (white and dark meat), and homemade cranberry sauce. To this, everyone else contributed rolls, corn. green beans (several varieties), cheesecake, pecan pie, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes (several varieties), and many other items that this food stuffed brain cannot remember. If someone wanted something that wasn't there, they either didn't mention it, or were supposed to bring it themselves and didn't. All the students were back among the living and were there (except two that decided that they must have one more trip to Oxford) as well as many visiting families and friends. We set everything up in Flat 5 and served our plates and then headed to Flat 4 where all the tables had been placed. It really was a wonderful "feast" with new friends and I think it was enjoyed by all. Many stuck around for a showing of A Knight's Tale, a particularly significant movie to our stay in London. I snuck off to grade papers, but ended up writing this.

The day began with the annual Thanksgiving Day Service for the American Community in London at St. Paul's. I have always wanted to attend but it has never worked out. This year we arranged our schedule so that those that wanted to could attend. It really was presented for Americans in London and including staff from the American Embassy and the United States Marines. I did not expect to find it emotional, but after a wonderful service, the Marines returned to the center to receive the American flag and Marine flag from the priests to the choirs and audience singing America the Beautiful, I discovered a big tear rolling down my face. I looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed and everyone was wiping eyes. We also sang We Gather Together and others we would expect at such a Thanksgiving Day service. Following the service, we were invited to visit the American Chapel, created by the British people in honor of the Americans that had died here during the World War II. It really was a special way to begin our Thanksgiving Day and I will never again celebrate Thanksgiving without thinking of sitting in St. Paul's singing America the Beautiful.

Reagan and Sara are here and we talk late into the night, but once things are open, they are out and about. They are really checking off their list of things they had planned to see at a breakneck speed, almost the Dan-Tullos-tour speed (which means seeing the whole Louvre in one hour. I should know, I was there! Keri)

I hope you all had a wonderful day with family and/or friends.