Jess and I were talking the other day, kind of surprised that it was already November. After some discussion, we decided that we really like November. And we really like Thanksgiving.
If you think about it, Thanksgiving is the only major holiday that hasn't been made "commercial". The only real thing you need to buy is a turkey. But, if you think about it, you really don't have to buy one. In fact, I've enjoyed a Thanksgiving without a turkey. We had turkey loaf instead. And I liked it. Thanksgiving is about gratitude, it's about family, it's about being around a large table talking with the people you love (or like) and really just enjoying the day, all of it.
If you'll take a moment and let me reminisce.
An hour away from our house, in a more rural part of the state, I'd spend my childhood Thanksgivings. We sleep over the night before and wake up to mom and dad, showered and dressed already busy in the kitchen, removing giblets and prepping stuffing. As 2pm came upon us, relatives would begin showing up at the garage door, wiping there feet on the rug and placing on the table their addition to the meal: creamed corn, yogurt pie, string (green) bean casserole. Sometimes these were relatives I hadn't seen for a while, and it was fun to catch up with them, even if I did do it by listening over my brothers' shoulders and hearing how my uncle drove a truck like a stuntman in a commercial he was hired to put together. My dad would say the blessing, getting teary, making me realize what the holiday was really all about. Sometimes we'd start a fire in the fireplace and eat to the sounds of the crackling wood. I really enjoyed the food, but in normal Ashley fashion, I enjoyed the conversation that much more.
Ahh, the memories.
What makes your Thanksgivings special? What makes you grateful? What can you be thankful this for year, this week, today?
3 comments:
Ah, yes. But you forget the chutney in its varying types and flavors! Still, I'm with you. Waking up to the delicious smells already wafting up from the kitchen, taking a few turns with the siblings through the crisp air and up to the gravel pit before lunch. But most of all, seeing family, and the dull roar of family conversation that is almost uniquely ours. Good memories. Thanks for reminding me.
Johnson Thanksgivings up in Heber will always be a cherished memory for me. They ended too soon. Sigh.
yogurt pie! i lso miss these times. it was at one of these Thanksgivings that the famous "fee fi fo fum, fee fi fo fum. i'm the most amazing guy who never eats a piece of pie" was born.
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