Members of BLEVE—Black Employees at Veritas Empowered—Came Together to Share Their Favorite Thanksgiving Memories

On Thanksgiving morning, I cook while everyone else is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV.  We dance and sing along and marvel at the new floats every year. The air is filled with the mouthwatering scents of turkey, greens and of course apple pies! After dinner, we gather round, play traditional holiday games, and with a twinge of humor, we watch the Detroit Lions play anticipating an often loss. It’s always a day filled with togetherness, good food and memories made.

My favorite Thanksgiving memories are waking up to the aroma of onions and scallions sautéing in butter, hearing water boiling on the stove, and that light scent of sweet potato pie lingering in the air. Sitting on the couch with my siblings while my stomach growls as we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.  Once the parade ends, my brother and I go outside to play football with the other kids from our neighborhood as we patiently wait for three words that ring magic to my ears...dinner is ready!

For me, nothing beats the slow morning with coffee, Thanksgiving news coverage, and Black Friday deal hunting with a house full of family. This is followed organically by the delicious smells of breakfast served by my loving and tireless mother who works night and day preparing food for us. I always look forward to the mid-afternoon Thanksgiving feast with the family and in between meals, we enjoy the football games, jokes, and hardcore hatred (out of love for the sport) for the Dallas Cowboys! The Washington Commanders all day.

Staci Cox, Renewals Manager

Florida Remote

For many of us Covid-19 has changed a lot of family traditions. As for my family and I, we were always spread across the US from California, Atlanta, Chicago, and Florida. During the Pandemic we lost 3 beloved family members and decided to change that narrative. Since last year we have consolidated most family here in FL and started a new tradition for Thanksgiving by trying new recipes. I am thankful for having them near and look forward to trying the new Lobster Mac recipe I found on Food Network.

Thanksgiving for me begins the night before as friends typically come back in town and we share memories and catch up on life. Thanksgiving morning starts with a race for those of us fitness fans. Best of all is the continual bonding during Thanksgiving dinner with family and those friends who stay local and become family for the day as we share our blessings, give thanks, and appreciate each other.

I am grateful and blessed each year to be able to spend time with my family at Thanksgiving. Our extended family gets together at my dad's house for a day of reconnecting, watching tv, enjoying each other's company, and of course eating lots of food! A new family tradition that we started over the last several years has been frying our turkey instead of the traditional roasting of the turkey. This is one of the highlights of the day because it literally takes most of the family to get the turkey cooked. It is a joy seeing family, young and old, working together and building memories.

My fondest Thanksgiving memories were during the times when my family and I were under one roof. My sister and I would beg my mom to sample some of the dinner beforehand and she would give us a sample size of her dressing and one of her famous chest squares (dessert dish). From there my dad and I would talk about life while watching whatever NBA games were on at that time. With us now being spread apart, we make a great effort each year to FaceTime show our meals and remind each other to be thankful all year round.

Thanksgiving is about 3 things for me. The first is family, friends and then football! Love this time of year and how it seems to bring everyone a little closer.