I grew up in a home that celebrated Thanksgiving in the most traditional way. An early afternoon feast of turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls—often Pillsbury crescents slathered in butter. Of course, pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
After such a huge dinner, you feel like you can’t eat another thing for a week!
Until about 7:30 or so and the prospect of a turkey sandwich is brought up. Now, who can pass that up—especially when followed by another sliver of pie?
The tradition was passed down to my family and most of the same elements made it to the table every year. The day usually ended with “the sandwich.”
For various reasons, the tradition’s been messed up the last few years in our household, and this year was no exception. For one thing, we celebrated the holiday almost a week early. Strange how it just doesn’t feel the same, does it? We had all the typical stuff, but not on “the day”…and no late evening sandwich.
This year’s sandwich was radically different.
Since we celebrated early and since our typical Wednesday evening church service was moved to a Tuesday evening Praise Service, we had planned to drive to Hocking Hills State Park (southeast of Columbus, Ohio) on Wednesday, do some hiking on Thursday and Friday and continue our journey east on Saturday for a particular mission.
The closer we got to the expected trip, the weather in Ohio was looking worse. We might get some hiking in on Thanksgiving Day, but Friday would be a washout. The weather in our region, however, looked really good for late November.
So, we changed plans.
Instead of an all-day drive on Wednesday, we headed to the Chicago burbs for a few days, arriving at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve before 1 p.m. for one side of “the sandwich.”
Our first visit to this park was about 45 years ago, and it’s expanded and improved greatly! Though a suburban nature area, it has quite a few good trails. We pieced together a couple of them and logged 9 miles of hiking on a nice, relatively warm (mid-50s) afternoon.
Beat wrestling
with a turkey
and rolling out
pie dough!
The other “slice of bread”—Friday—involved another beautiful, relatively warm day. We drove from our hotel in Oak Brook to Palos Park and the Swallow Cliff Woods park. One of the park’s features is a long sledding/tubing hill (formerly a toboggan run) near the north entrance. Getting to the top of the hill involves a steep climb up the Swallow Cliff Stairs—a limestone stairway of 125 steps on one side of the run, 168 on the other side. Aptly named “Fitness Stairs,” lots of people use them for that very purpose. I suppose you can tell how fit—or not—you are by the time you reach the top.
IF
you reach
the top.
We did make it up the 125-step stairway, but surely appreciated the level trail as we began our hike on a long loop around the park’s perimeter!
Clearly, this perfect hiking-weather day was still part of the holiday for many. The stairs were busy and the trails around the top quite crowded. Yet, as we ventured on, it became quieter with fewer and fewer people. At times we walked a good distance with no one around. Nice.
At the halfway point in our hike, we had circled around, back down the hill, and once again found ourselves at the bottom of the stairs. To test our fitness—or sanity, I suppose—we opted to climb the 168 steps. Still survived. And this time we headed in the opposite direction.
After a total of 9½ miles, we polished off the Thanksgiving “sandwich,” tired but refreshed from the hours outdoors—about as far away from the “Black Friday” shopping mayhem as one can get. Thankfully!
Just how thankful we were for the day was deeply impressed upon us as we neared our hotel in Oak Brook, not too far from Oak Brook Center—one of the premier shopping centers in the western suburbs.
It was mayhem.
The parking lot was packed. Traffic trying to get in…cars trying to leave…clogged 6-lane roads. So much better the woods!
So Thanksgiving Day for us was sandwiched by two 9+ mile hikes, and in between a good day for giving thanks.
We were grateful for a few days away…
- for the ability still at our post-60 age to enjoy 9-mile hikes!…
- for sleeping in…
- for the morning’s coffee and quiet time…
- for a place that stayed open on Thanksgiving Day where we could get a noon-time breakfast…
- for time alone, just the two of us….
In the early evening, we headed to a relative’s home for the feast where all the traditional Thanksgiving dinner fare was spread across the table. And so the thankfulness continued….
- for the family that opened a couple of seats at the table at the last minute…
- for good conversation, catching up on one another’s lives…
- for the delicious food…
- for pumpkin pie and apple crisp…
- for the labor of love that prepared it all…
- for the leisurely evening that went to late hours (for us)…
- for the ability to simply relax, not having to drive home that night, get up early for my usual Friday routine of Sunday preparation…
- for the gracious, generous God who gives us richly all things to enjoy!…
I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, reflected on so much to be thankful for, and maybe even enjoyed a good turkey sandwich!
