Our Italian Thanksgiving

In the fall of 1967, I was living in Bergamo, Italy, a small city in the foothills of the Alps, working as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was living with three other missionaries, and this day was the American Thanksgiving. We were missing our families and thinking about the turkey dinner our moms were cooking with hot rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, pie, and the warm feelings we felt when our families gathered to celebrate this special holiday.

We were by ourselves, and it was just an ordinary day in Italy, so we decided we would celebrate in our own unique way. We resolved to make do with whatever the local stores carried and not let the fact that a nice tender turkey would be missing stop us from enjoying our holiday together.

Off we went to the stores, with pretty low expectations that we would find much by way of the traditional menu. We were pleasantly surprised to see four Cornish game hens in the meat section and bought them all.

We created quite a sensation at the checkout stand. Four game hens for four people? Surely one was enough for a whole family! We were not trying to cause an international incident or put on a show of excess or gluttony. We were just four young men, far from home, trying to celebrate and connect with our family traditions.

 We were also not great chefs, but we fixed our fixins’ and ate our Thanksgiving meal far away from our families. We had full stomachs and an afternoon filled with friendship and gratitude.

We felt close to our families, even though they were thousands of miles away, and we realized more than ever just how important they were to us. We knew it was not possible to be with them, but we could still celebrate and feel close.

My family celebrates two holidays in July that most of the world does not. One, the Fourth of July, is unique to America; the other, coming later this week, is the 24th of July, or Pioneer Day, and is unique to our home state of Utah. This year, I’m not far away from home, but surging cases of COVID continue to impact how we live our lives every day and how we celebrate holidays. Whatever traditions each of us has, this year is a good time to get creative, alter and adapt. Turkeys or game hens, near or far, together or apart, the good health of ourselves and others is of far greater value than the details. 

Happy Failing Forward,

Cal and Anne