Neither of us, by far, are a Norman Rockwell painting of Thanksgiving. That being said I can remember the sights and smells of some very unique thanksgiving dinners. From sawing off the bottom of burnt rolls so there was something edible left behind. To eating turkey after thanksgiving until you swore that you had the container of unending turkey (similar to Ezekiel’s container of oil and flour, 1 Kings 17:16 for reference).
Michelle remembers the first Thanksgiving that it was just her and her mother (parents divorced). Her mother had to work so it was up to Michelle to bake the turkey. She knew how to cook, but had never baked a turkey before, so she followed her mother’s directions until something happened that her mother did not warn her about…the legs fell off!!! Michelle did not know that it meant the turkey was done, she thought that she had done something wrong. She called over to where her mother worked and asked the ladies working with her mother how to put the legs back on the turkey. Needless to say, it all worked out ok and the turkey was wonderful.
I remember the first holiday meal that we had at Mary’s house (Michelle’s mother). The meal was one of the best I had ever eaten, but what I remembered the most was just how welcoming Mary was to me. She treated me like I was her flesh and blood son and not just the man who had married her daughter. I have never had anyone to be so welcoming to me in my entire life. She always treated me that way, I was her son.
So, as you can see from this small sampling, Michelle and I are not alone at Thanksgiving, but we are surrounded by all of the precious memories of holidays past to feast upon.
We hope that you had a blessed Thanksgiving.