I love Thanksgiving because it’s all about food and family, my favorites things.
In my youth, we hosted between twenty and twenty-five for Thanksgiving dinner. My father cooked the entire meal: turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing (cooked inside the turkey), and corn. My aunts brought pies and snacks. My grandmother brought candy. Loved her! My mom sat in a recliner, read the newspaper, such a throwback idea, and did the crosswords. When the guests arrived, she rose from her chair and made orange sherbert punch. Her recipe: a can of frozen orange juice, six ten-ounce bottles of 7Up, and a container of orange sherbert. We still do this for family parties. It’s refilled several times.
I only hosted Thanksgiving once. It wasn’t great, but no one died so I count it as a success. Cooking isn’t my strong suit. I relied heavily on my relatives to fill in. This year will be bittersweet. My sister-in-law and hostess with so much mostess, is planning on selling her big house. It is a perfect fit for our forty-five and growing crowd. The end of an era.
Next year will be different because we may be with our individual families as opposed to all together. Or in a weak moment, I may volunteer again. It will close quarters, but my husband likes to cook. Either way, Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on blessings.
Always thankful for what was, what is, and what will be.
About Mary Jo Burke
Mary Jo is a USA Today bestselling author and 2014 WRWDC Marlene Award winner. She writes whatever pops into her head including paranormal, fantasy, romance, and mystery stories. Being an eternal pessimist and multi-tasker helps Mary Jo put her characters in desperate situations. She reads, likes her kids, and is currently working on her next project.
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