Prepare to experience, enjoy a different Thanksgiving tradition

Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

- Romans 12-21 (NIV)

I heard that 1 out of every 4 people will be staying home and cooking a Thanksgiving turkey for the first time.

For various reasons, this year will be a different kind of Thanksgiving for many. Others have shared with me some of their personal hardships causing them to alter their family plans.

It can be discouraging when we have to set our traditions aside. But that doesn't mean doing it different has to be a bad thing. Looking back, I've had a few Thanksgivings that differed and the amazing thing is they turned out to be my most memorable.

I was 6 years old, and enjoying watching the Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. Somewhere amid the balloon floats and marching bands, I heard my sister crying to my mother that she was in pain. Shortly afterward, my parents took her to the hospital, while my older brother and I stayed home.

The sun was setting by the time my parents walked through the door, with the sad news that my sister was hospitalized with an acute appendicitis attack.

Removing her jacket, my mother went directly into the kitchen and prepared our Thanksgiving dinner. With the table set with our holiday china, our family sat down together and said a prayer of thanks. Amid our worries, we did our best to overcome the negative circumstances with gratitude of what God had given us and the safe hands my sister was in.

The next morning, the hospital called and said my sister's was doing well and released her to go home. I felt it was a Thanksgiving miracle.

Another tough Thanksgiving was when my Mom had just been diagnosed with cancer. The whole family was void of the holiday spirit. But making the best of bad a situation, we put on a festive meal.

We kept things on the lighter side and shared some funny stories, as we enjoyed our time together. It was certainly out of the ordinary, but we formed a closer bond that year.

A friend of mine shared as a young girl she was excited that she and her family would be celebrating at her aunt's house. But when her mother and aunt got into an argument, they left before dinner was served. At home, the cupboards were bare, so they traveled around the neighborhood to find a restaurant that was open, (back in the '60s the possibility of this was slim).

Starved and tired from their ordeal, they came across a little hot dog place with an "Open" sign, where they were serving hot dogs cooked in beer batter. They filled their famished appetites with hot dogs and headed for home. We laughed as she shared the story.

From time to time, life throws us a holiday curveball. I'm sure many of you have stories of your own.

When bad things happen, God inspires us to overcome the evil with good. As people of faith, we are to flex our spiritual muscles and make the best of a bad situation.

I wish for you to have the Thanksgiving of your dreams. But if chaos breaks out, keep in mind it's the unusual ones that have a way of sticking with us and warm our hearts with lasting memories.

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.