Thanksgiving

I can remember as a child going to my grandparents home for Thanksgiving. We'd have turkey and all the fixings plus grannies chicken & dumplings. I would get my own chocolate pie. I don't know why I was given that distinction as Grannie had 10 children and lots of grandchildren. But I was given my own pie. I could share if I wanted but no-one but me could cut it for the first piece. She was an unbelievable woman my Grannie and we all knew it and were thankful for her.

As time passed and my parents became grandparents we started having the Thanksgiving at their place. My mom was a great cook, and did she ever like to cook. I would love to have a piece of her apple-walnut sour cream cake right now! Unfortunately, that recipe went with her to the grave.

Before the meal prayer was said and everyone took a turn saying what they were grateful for over the year. It was such a delightful time. Some would write down their thanks in a prayer or a poem. Some would say OK let's get to the eating part. We would always try and sit everyone at the same time, but that didn't always work. After the meal the women would do the dishes and the guys would watch football.

More time passes and I find myself maker of the annual Thanksgiving meal. What allot of work. We continued the part of everyone saying what they were thankful for and the prayer. I found myself doing much of the cleanup. Everyone else would watch TV or sleep. Then one day, I said I have had enough. I got myself and my nieces and nephews dressed and we went out back for a walk and looked for rocks. Every person had to get a favorite rock to bring back to their parent. That year we also searched high and low for my invisible dog. the kiddos still remember that year and we talk of it with much laughter. That was the last year I hosted the Thanksgiving meal. I passed the mantle to my younger brothers family.

That leads us to 2007- my hubby & older daughter decided to take a quick trip to Florida. To the warmth and a close family friends home. But alas, we didn't have the turkey meal, prayer or the saying of what we were thankful for. You see were in the air flying back to South Jersey as most of the folks in the United States were enjoying their meal. The funny part is I miss having turkey leftovers, pumpkin pie, mince meat pie & sweet potato pie. candied sweet potatoes, homemade cole slaw and fresh green beans cooked the way granny & mom did em. I missed my grand kids and little spats over who would sit where.

So- what am I thankful for! Family, friends, days past & present, health to enjoy it, A loving hubby, kids and grand kids & God who lets it all happen!