What's Not to Love About a Family Thanksgiving

Two plump turkeys, baking in my kitchen, presented mouth-watering scents wafting through the house. Downstairs my family room had been transformed into a long dining hall with two eight foot tables and nineteen chairs waiting for guests. How to fit four additional guests? The sofa pushed back under the windows would work for the four little children along with wooden tv trays. Everything waited, including me, for the arrival of our guests.

They came, one family at a time, each carrying a side dish to add to the feast. Time to pop the rolls in the oven, put the vegetables and potatoes in bowls and begin carrying down the food. With plenty of help, the long table was soon laden with two platters of turkey, a ham, sweet potato casserole, corn, green beans, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, gravy, hot rolls, butter, and soft drinks for all. Everyone told what they were thankful for this year, many bringing a soft chorus of "awwww", many drawing applause amidst tears. So much to be thankful for. Last year my son-in-law had been in the hospital on Thanksgiving after having his kidney removed due to cancer. His testimony broke us all down. My mother was thankful that she isn't alone any longer. Everyone spoke from their hearts and I felt so blessed to be part of this family.

Dessert came next...pumpkin rolls, pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecake, cherry pie, pecan pie.

Afterward, everyone pitched in to clean and to put the house back in order. Amazing how quickly things can get cleaned up with willing hands. That's when I discovered the crock pot full of sweetened carrots, which I forgot to add to the dinner. There's always one thing that goes awry and causes laughter and "remember when" moments. Guess it'll be the carrots that get center stage for this gathering.

We are so blessed to have a warm home, family to grace it with love, plenty of food, and an abundance of love and laughter. And the cats didn't try to interfere. I was thankful for that! We don't feed them table foods, but they do try to gain attention during our dinner hour by rubbing against legs and meowing for attention. No one screamed, so I'm assuming the cats had found safe hiding spots.

What's not to love about that?