Tiny Moments, Big Memories: A Thanksgiving School Lunch Story

This week, like we do every year around this time, we had the joy of attending Allan and Anna’s Thanksgiving school lunch and it was every bit as heartwarming as we’d hoped. Picture dozens of parents shuffling into the cafeteria, balancing trays of turkey, stuffing and apple cobbler while their kids introduced them to their friends. It was so cute to see them in their element and witness how they would normally act around their classmates without us around.

The turkey? Surprisingly good! The company? Even better.

There’s something so magical about this time of year. Maybe it’s the gathering of family and friends every other weekend or the slower pace as we inch toward the holidays, but sitting at that little table with Allan and Anna and watching their faces light up as they pointed out their friends and favorite teachers, reminded us why this season means so much to us: Connection.

We felt so fortunate that we were able to be there. Not every parent can take time off for a midday school event, and we don’t take that for granted. Case in point: I remember we had little lunches for the holidays like this at my school growing up, but because my school was 40 minutes away and my mom worked nonstop to support us, she wasn’t ever able to make them (she did come to one, I think?). Moments like these- a school lunch, a hand-drawn turkey project, a laugh over spilled gravy (oops), are the threads that weave our family memories together and will hopefully be times our kids look back on fondly as they get older. I know I do it all the time.

As we walked home, we found ourselves reflecting on a simple lesson: The best things in our life aren’t big, orchestrated events. They’re the small, fleeting moments that remind us to slow down, show up, and savor the now.

Thanksgiving isn’t just a day on the calendar; it’s a mindset. And this sweet little lunch was the perfect way to kick off the season of gratitude.

Here’s to more turkey (and more family moments) ahead.