Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

Three years ago, we began what has become something of a Thanksgiving tradition by turning over this space to a fellow Team Schein Member to share a reflection on the meaning of the holiday. This year, we are pleased to share a most American story from Gavin Schramm, a TSM who grew up in Australia and now lives in Iowa.  

Here is Gavin’s story: 

I was 17 when I landed at Los Angeles International Airport in May 1994, carrying just a suitcase and a baseball glove. This is where my Thanksgiving story starts.

In my native Australia, I had fallen in love with America’s National Pastime and did well enough that an American scout from the Atlanta Braves baseball team invited me to try out for the organization that summer. Injuries ultimately derailed my dream of playing professional baseball, unfortunately, but baseball did allow me to earn a college degree in Iowa and, most fortunately, introduced me to my wife, Kam.

While I knew about baseball, I was unfamiliar with the traditions of Thanksgiving prior to coming to America. A few months into college life, Thanksgiving break was upon us. With no set plans and the dorms closing, I made a road trip with a college mate from Iowa to Denver to enjoy the holiday with the Clarkes, my summer baseball host family. 

Everyone took turns sharing what they were thankful for as the turkey was carved and the delicious smells lingered, with American football (gridiron as we call it in Australia) playing in the background. Hanging around with the Clarke family in the kitchen was my true realization of the meaning of this day. Minus the snow, cooler temps, and fixings on the table, this American tradition reminded me of home. There were remarkable parallels to the similar holiday traditions I enjoyed growing up near my large extended family.

I’ve had many Thanksgiving memories since that first Thanksgiving in Denver, both in the U.S. and Down Under. I’ve visited with the Coolongs, my college roommate’s family, for their Thanksgiving tradition of family football at a suburban Minneapolis field, sometimes with snow clearing required. Kam and I have even taken the tradition to Australia on several occasions before and after our daughter, Gillian, was born. Sourcing a turkey has often required advanced planning, but celebrating and cooking the traditional fixings in the heat of a Queensland summer has been a joy to share with my grandparents, extended family, and friends. The Thanksgiving tradition for me doesn’t revolve around where you are or what you’re serving, but who you are with. The spirit of Thanksgiving speaks a universal language.

As I reflect on my first of many Thanksgivings, I am thankful for the families who have opened their homes to me. Relocating from Australia 26 years ago, and not seeing my family and friends but once a year, celebrating a holiday with such emphasis on these connections has become so important to me. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect not on possessions but on the good in life.

This year, there will be even more reason to be thankful for our health, love, and family, and to cherish the time I get to spend with Kam, Gillian, extended family, and friends. After 26 years in America, I can now say I have such a deep appreciation for Thanksgiving and for the opportunities provided by this land of the free that I now call home.