Great food: turkey, dressing, gravy, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, mac & cheese, crescent rolls, wheat germ yeast rolls—and the DESSERTS!! Miss Lucy’s Apple Dumplins, made from scratch chocolate cake, oldfashioned walnut cake, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
Sharing memories and jokes, some of them never shared before because only one remembers. Laughter and family gossip. Watching the end of the Macy’s Parade and then the National Dog Show, oohing and aahing over the toy dogs and the giant dogs and all the sizes in between. Bubba and Amanda—eleven months apart in age, a foot apart in height and a hundred pounds or so in weight, so different in so many ways, but cousins, chatting merrily about whatever twenty/nineteen year olds chat about (mostly electronics). BIL’s stepdad and my brother talking about music. The Princess serene in a corner by the TV, making refrigerator art for everybody to take home.
Mom couldn’t be with us. This time of year—and sadly, increasingly, other times too—her various ailments keep her housebound. Gathering stuff together, making her a plate, pouring tea in empty bottles for her (she loves iced tea), amid inquiries about her health and messages to give to her.
As we all leave, some to go home, others to second feasts, there is love all around, hugs and kisses and "I love yous" and "be carefuls".
Simple gifts.
I am so thankful for simple gifts.
Photos: Jim Crotty
Cello: Yo Yo Ma
Vocal: Allison Krauss
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