Making Turkey and Making Laws
I have four adult children. As they were growing, I felt it was my job to teach each of them life skills, two of which were cooking and entertaining. So the 16th year for each of my children, they were responsible for organizing and cooking the Thanksgiving meal.
As Thanksgiving approached the host of that year would sit with me and go through each dish they wanted at the table (our menu looks very similar year-to-year, but they had room to add or take out anything they chose). We would build a shopping list together. They would delegate to different family members, who was preparing what. They would create a timeline for what needed to go in the oven when and what came out when. They were responsible for setting the table, the centerpiece, the desserts and any guests that might be joining the year they were in charge. Some went formal, others made the meal more casual.
Going through this process helped them understand how to get everything on the table hot (if it needed to be hot) and cold (if it needed to be cold) at the same time. My hope was: they would appreciate other people's efforts that go into events like this, they would not be intimidated if they ever had to host a holiday meal in their future lives, and they could decide how much or little they liked these kinds of traditions.
Not all my kids love to cook, and I'm OK with that, but they do all like holiday traditions. And by making the preparation a part of the tradition, as adults they can choose what to keep and what to reject. But each of them knows what it takes to create the atmosphere of coziness, love and good food. And each knows how to contribute the elements of the day that is important to him or her. For example: homemade rolls are a nice touch on Thanksgiving, but now my kids know how much effort that takes and some don't love homemade rolls enough to prepare them--so they opt for store bought rolls instead. Maybe she wants to put her limited time into two more pies rather than the homemade rolls. No judgment from me. It's her choice.
Being a part of the political process is very much like this. Those who get their hands dirty and understand how the messy political process works, appreciate the real time and effort that goes into that process. That is why politically active people vote, every year, in every election. They serve. And they contribute to their communities in meaningful ways. This Thanksgiving week we, at the Utah Bee are taking some extra time to appreciate the people around us, this amazing state we call home, and those who are willing to get their hands dirty making our turkey and making our laws. We are grateful for those who organize our holidays and organize our communities. We are grateful.
In case you missed it, on the Bee last week, we covered:
Simple tips for a Thanksgiving political conversation (that doesn’t end in a food fight)How victims fare with a clergy exemption policyUtah’s history of child brides married to much older menWhat happens when voters speak and legislators don’t listen?