We hope that this Thanksgiving, you’re able to find comfort in your traditions, spend time with family and friends, and reflect on what you’re most thankful for.
Thanksgiving is often rooted in tradition, centered around gatherings with friends and family, expressions of gratitude, and, of course, feasting. This Thanksgiving, we asked five TriWest Healthcare Alliance (TriWest) employees to share their favorite Thanksgiving traditions, including any helpful ways to maintain health and wellness during a holiday often centered around overindulgence.
Carrie Burgess, Supervisor, Autism Care Demonstration
Carrie is a certified behavior analyst who has worked with children with autism spectrum disorder for more than 15 years. She came to TriWest a year ago to help get the Autism Care Demonstration started. “It’s been so fulfilling to see this develop and to meet so many talented and knowledgeable people along the way,” Carrie expressed.
For Carrie, growing up, Thanksgiving was spent at big family gatherings at both of her grandmothers’ houses. Now that she lives far away from extended family, her celebrations are much smaller and more intimate. Even without a lot of family close by, Carrie always tries to make her table a welcoming place. “We always try to find a friend or neighbor to share some part of our Thanksgiving celebration with,” she said.
Carrie’s Thanksgiving centers around gratitude. “My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is going around the table and having each person share what they’re thankful for. Over the years, it’s led to lots of sweet moments, baby announcements, laughter, and loving teasing.” It’s something she called a “corny tradition,” but one she and her family love and make sure to do year after year.
Like many of us, Carrie loves the Thanksgiving foods and feast, but she also enjoys going for a walk after the large meal. “It’s a time to continue conversations but also get your body moving,” she shared. She even has a name for that too-full feeling many of us know. “Growing up, we always called it ‘the -itis.’ When you overindulge and just want to take a nap after a big holiday meal.”
Carrie likes making many of her Thanksgiving foods from scratch. “It’s such an important step in being able to control what is in your food and the ingredients you’re consuming,” she noted. While she acknowledges the time this takes, she believes it’s a great way to make memories and enjoy each other’s company.
Sarah Grunwald, Executive Administrative Assistant
Sarah spent most of her career in financial advisory services, but she recently decided she needed a new challenge. She found TriWest and hasn’t looked back. “Everyone I met was so positive and welcoming. They were all passionate about this company, and I wanted to be a part of it,” she recalled.
Sarah is divorced with two kids, so Thanksgiving looks a little different now. “The holidays are split between us, so I don’t always have my daughters. This year, I’m excited because my girls are with me, and we’re traveling to spend it with my family.”
Sarah’s family has moved away from a “classic Thanksgiving meal,” and instead, they do something easy with little clean-up. “That way we have more time to spend together,” she said. Whatever’s on the menu, Sarah knows it’s easy to eat too much. Her solution: “I take a little of everything. That way I get to try everything but don’t get super stuffed.”
Sarah still embraces the Thanksgiving traditions she had while growing up. “My brother and I would watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade smooshed together on the couch,” she remembered.
After the parade, they’d pack into the car and drive to her grandparents’ house. “We’d race through the front door, and my grandma would have the giant ‘Oh, You Turkey’ coloring page from the newspaper for each of us.” Now, Sarah’s mom has the coloring pages ready for her girls, too.
As Sarah thinks about what she’s thankful for, she shared, “I am so thankful for this job. It’s the first time I’ve worked for a company and really felt that I belong.” She also acknowledged her struggles. “Moving across the country, going through a divorce, and dealing with some health issues has been tough. Seeing how far I’ve come, I really appreciate the goodness in every day.”
Tiffani Weeda, Senior Project and Event Specialist
With a background in event management and marketing, Tiffani joined TriWest earlier this year as a senior project and event specialist. She brings her experience to a role she loves because, as she said, “it aligns with such a meaningful mission – supporting our military and Veteran communities.”
Like the others, Tiffani usually spends Thanksgiving surrounded by family, enjoying good food and quality time together. “This year won’t be any different! We’re planning a cozy day filled with cooking, football, and lots of laughter,” she shared.
One highlight of their time together is a “gratitude jar.” Tiffani explains that throughout the day, she and her family members each write something they’re thankful for and place it in the jar. After dinner, they read them aloud. “It’s a simple tradition, but it’s so meaningful to have that moment together, to reflect on the year, and to show appreciation for life’s blessings,” she said.
For Tiffani, Thanksgiving is all about balance. She and her family always begin the day with a turkey trot. “It’s such a fun way to get moving before the big meal,” she expressed.
In addition, they mix a few lighter dishes into their Thanksgiving menu, like roasted veggies and salad with dinner. However, she shared, “Thanksgiving only comes once a year, so we make sure to indulge a little and enjoy all the favorites, guilt-free!”
Tiffani is especially thankful for family, health, and her meaningful work at TriWest that makes a difference in people’s lives. “This year has been full of new beginnings, and I’m so grateful for all the little things that make it so special!”
Cynthia Barris-Slovensky, Customer Service Representative
After working for a non-profit for several years and spending some time traveling, Cynthia and her husband settled in South Dakota. While searching for a position that would allow her both flexibility and balance, she found TriWest and now works as a customer service representative, helping to connect Veterans to important care. “I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a meaningful organization,” Cynthia shared.
For Cynthia and her family, Thanksgiving is more than just a single day of feasting. It’s a beautiful process that “not only fills the kitchen with incredible smells, but with the warm sounds of laughter and generations connecting.”
Their holiday kicks off with a Thanksgiving morning centered around the work in the kitchen, creating a menu full of homemade dishes, including her own signature contribution, apple sausage stuffing. But beyond the incredible tastes and smells, the time in the kitchen is valued for deeper reasons. “It’s during these hours that the real magic happens. We talk. We reminisce about ‘the good old times,’ sharing stories that grow more polished and beloved with each telling.”
As dinnertime approaches, a palpable excitement fills the air. “We gather, hold hands, and share what we’re most thankful for. Underlying every word is a shared, unspoken gratitude for this meal, these recipes, and this unwavering tradition,” she said.
For Cynthia and her family, Thanksgiving is more than a meal. “It’s a taste of home, of heritage, of love.”
Adrienne Farrow, Manager Clinical Operations Regulatory Compliance
Adrienne was born and raised in a small town in Northeast Oregon. She grew up on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, where she is an enrolled member.
Adrienne started in the health care field sort of by accident, applying for a secretary job at the Tribal Fire Department. There, she found a love for helping paramedics on the ambulance, went to EMT school, and has been in health care ever since.
She was looking for a new job when she came across TriWest. For Adrienne, a job with TriWest has extra meaning. She explained, “I have many family members who served or are serving our country. I have seen firsthand the struggles each has had with getting the health care they need.”
Adrienne’s Thanksgiving story offers us a chance to view the holiday through different lenses. “Being American Indian, Thanksgiving has more than just the traditional meaning. To my family, it’s a day of mixed emotions,” she shared.
She said that most of her family celebrates with the joy of being with family and cooking the turkey dinner, all of the sides, and an array of desserts. But she also noted, “For some of my family, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning, remembrance, and a time to honor our ancestors.” She continues, “It’s a day for embracing our Native culture and traditions that continue to live on even though the settlers tried to strip this away.”
Adrienne’s Thanksgiving memories also show how different parts of her heritage blend together. She recalled her mom always making a huge turkey, using sage as one of the ingredients in her stuffing. However, she said, “Sage is also a traditional medicine used by American Indians as a smudge to cleanse the body and mind of negative thoughts and illness.”
One Thanksgiving, she and her mom got up early to get the turkey into the oven. Her mom mentioned she forgot the sage. Confused, Adrienne asked her why she needed to smudge the turkey. Her mom replied, “What? I forgot to put sage in the stuffing!” They looked at each other and started laughing. “Every year after, it became a standing joke between us and now that my mom has passed, I still smile every year remembering our joke,” Adrienne shared.
This year, Adrienne is most thankful for her family and TriWest, who, as she put it, “prioritizes high-quality care and the safety of our Veterans and families.”
We hope that this Thanksgiving, you’re able to find comfort in your traditions, spend time with family and friends, and reflect on what you’re most thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!