A Thankful Thursday

This year, Thanksgiving was a relaxing affair at Zoe’s house. She lives in a charming little house in a historical district. Exposed brick, stained concrete flooring, two bedrooms, and one tiny newly remodeled bathroom. The kitchen is white countertops and lower cabinets, and open shelves above. She has a white pained window above her deep farm-style sink. One of my favorite pieces in her kitchen is the stainless steel island with wheels. Her fantastic double oven died a sad death a while ago and she hasn’t been able to replace it yet. Mom and I were more than happy to do all the oven baking at our own homes and bring the food to Zoe. She made the mashed potatoes, gravy and asparagus, and provided a lovely atmosphere for entertaining. She opened her round table up with the leaves and made it roomy enough for eight guests. Each place was set perfectly in her blue and white china, linen napkins, and the most beautiful arrangement of yellow flowers in the center.

We decided to do a ham this year instead of turkey, and I have to say it was a nice change. I did the ham. At 62 years of age, I am proud to say that my very first ham baking turned out splendid. If I had known how easy it was, I would have been doing hams a long time ago. I also did the homemade yeast rolls, which I normally do every year. And every year they seem to turn out a little different. Delicious, but just a tad unique every year. This year, they were as tasty as they were beautiful. The grandchildren thought that I cheated at did store-bought! I took that as a compliment. I also made a cheesy green bean casserole, per the request of my grandson Yuri. I have to admit, it was really good. Even if it was a bit salty. If you know me, I rarely EVER add salt to my food unless the recipe specifically asks for it. This one didn’t, so I was surprised to taste the saltiness. Mom said it was probably from the Soy Sauce! Duh…that makes sense. I’ll go lighter on it next time.

Mom was in charge of the dessert this year, and brought a pumpkin pie and an apple pie, much to our delight. I am a pumpkin pie girl! And mom’s is always perfect. My grandchildren LOVE her apple pies. Always! She also brought cranberry relish. One with nuts and one without nuts! She is so thoughtful of her great-grandson Yuri, who is deathly allergic to nuts. Thank you, mom. We all appreciate it.

A neighbor friend of Zoe’s brought a plate of crackers and cheese with some gorgeous and scrumptious grapes! She also made a Truffles Macaroni and Cheese dish that I found very tasty. I have never had truffles before and wasn’t even sure what they were. But I learned something new this Thanksgiving. Truffles are a type of mushroom. Who would have thought? Judy also brought a few bottles of Martinelli’s sparkling cider, which was enjoyed by all.

After a sweet prayer by Zoe, we all dove in and ate to our hearts’ content. The conversation was lively and the food was delicious. Sophia and Hannah helped clear the table and load the dishwasher and get ready for dessert and coffee. As the sun began to set, we pulled out a few games like Boggle and Taboo and had a blast playing round after round. There is nothing sweeter than sitting around the dinner table playing board games with four generations of family members while sipping coffee and just enjoying each other’s presence.

As Zoe loaded mom and me up with leftovers for the next day or two, we hugged a little tighter and said “I love you” a few extra times before heading out. Thanksgiving is one of those days where you are gently reminded of how blessed you are to have family and friends that love you in the good times and in the bad. It also reminds us that if everyone helps a little, there’s no stress on anyone; and it gives us a chance to breathe and remember that God is watching over each of us with love and grace and as He smiles and sees us living our lives for each other, He is proud of us. His children. His family. I am incredibly and abundantly grateful for my family. Those who sat at our table and those who were sitting around their own table…The Lord has given us another day, another hour, another minute to do the thing He put us on earth to do…Love one another. Always, in All ways.

Forever Grateful/Blessed Beyond Measure…

Pam