It’s Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, are we ready? This Thanksgiving will include 9 family members all together between 2 small apartments. Not fun but doable.  My Big Bear hubby, Bob, our daughter, Sarah, and her hubby, Matt, and there newborn baby boy, Samuel. Our son, Matthew and his wife Danielle, and our grandson Glen. Fran and Chuck Hoover (Matt’s parents), And lets not forget – our 3 dogs (Chester GSD, Cooper AussieDoodle, and Jake Jack Russell), Matthew’s dogs and kitty (Bailey GSD, Rusty AussieDoodle, and Figaro Baby Kitty found in parking lot of Best Buy). And Sarah & Matt’s 4 cats – Molly, Casper, Esther, and Picasso) So much to be thankful for this year – especially Samuel joining our family – and that we are well and able to celebrate our family..

When I reflect back on Thanksgivings past, the first memory I have of the holiday is driving to Walkersville, Maryland with my Mom and Dad and 2 older brothers.  We were headed to “The Farm.”  The Farm was where my grandparents lived on 80+ acres.  My father’s parents milked cattle and had a big barn of hay, but other than that, I never really knew what all the property was for.  My grandfather, Daddy Bill, was in advertising, and my grandmother, Mama Lill, was a homemaker.  I sure did love Mama Lill.  She was special, smart, tenacity, and didn’t put up with any crap from anyone. 

Mama Lill made the best Thanksgiving dinners you can imagine.  From the moment we pulled into the driveway on Thanksgiving day, you could smell the stuffing, the turkey, the rolls, the casseroles.  It was sheer heaven, and I couldn’t wait to run inside, hearing the screen door clap against the door frame, and hug my grandma.

But there were other things I remember about that house … the smell and creaking of the old hardwood floors.  The narrow doorways.  The stairs to the dark basement that terrified me.  The sound of my shoes on the wood steps leading upstairs.  The plumbing that made noises in the pink bathroom at the top of the steps.  The door to the attic in my grandfather’s bedroom.  The dressing table with mirror in my grandmother’s bedroom (yes, they had separate bedrooms), where Mama Lill would sit and let me brush her very long gray hair while we talked and shared stories.  And, I enjoyed visiting my cousin, Patty, who was being raised by my grandparents.  Patty was the daughter of my father’s older brother, Gordon.  Patty never knew any other parents other than Mama Lill and Daddy Bill.  Patty was 2 years older than I, so I had someone to play with at The Farm.  Sadly, we lost Patty this year. She lived in Florida and had had breast cancer for several years. Although she said it had not returned, we discovered that Patty had lost so much weight in the months prior to her death in August 2022, that I knew she had not been upfront with me. We communicated regularly. She was living in Floral City, Florida at the time. That is where we took care of Patty’s final needs, collected her important personal items, like pictures, and chose to bring her dog, Jake, home with us to join our family. I miss Patty. Thanksgivings were always special with her.

Dinner was served in Jadeite serving bowls and special dinnerware settings.  There was a corner hutch cabinet with glass doors that held all of Mama Lill’s special serving bowls and dinnerware.  We had to be very careful. 

In the family room there were built in bookcases and pictures of my father and our family on the shelves.  The fireplace would have a roaring fire going and Daddy Bill would be sitting in a recliner watching football on his big console television.  There was an organ that MamaLill bought for my cousin Patty to play, and Patty would entertain us after dinner. 

It amazes me how easy it is for me to take myself back to that time, remembering feelings of love and comfort, good food and family, the smell of dinner in the oven and old hardwood floors, and the smell of a fire burning in the fireplace.  It conjures up such deep feelings of family and love and togetherness.  It all meant something.

Leaving my grandparent’s home was always tough for me.  I always wanted to stay.  Sometimes my parents would let me stay another day or two, but most of the time I had to drive home with the family.  Either way, I went to bed with a full tummy and a hundred hugs, and my brother Billy saying “Goodnight Suzy.  Start thinking about Christmas!  Santa will be here soon.”  And then I would drift off to sleep dreaming of Christmas trees and ornaments, Santa and Barbie.

Here I am 60+ years later and those memories are still the most prominent in my mind when I think of Thanksgiving.  We never know what the following year will bring, but we hope and pray for health, happiness, laughter, family, and friends.  We pray that we are not faced with hardship, financial or personal.  We pray for a year of happy memories and blessings.

I realize now more than ever just how blessed I have been in this life.  I’ve had family and friends who love me and whom I love very much.  I’ve learned to forgive and to focus on the blessings.  I’ve learned that life is really about taking in all that is around us and in our lives – and that would be family, friends, and complete strangers too.  Just soak it all in.  It’s all life … right now.  The smells, the feelings, the food, the experience, the music, the comforts that make us feel blessed to be alive.

On this day and every day, I miss my father, my brother Billy, my grandparents, Patty, and friends who have passed on to be with the Lord.  I am thankful for the family and friends that are here with me today, adding much to be grateful for in this life.  Even in tough times, it seems that somehow it all works out, and that, in and of itself, is something to be very grateful for.

Do you have any Thanksgiving memories you’d like to share?  I hope you will share in the comments below.

On this 2022 Thanksgiving, I pray you are not alone.  I pray you are happy and healthy.  I pray for an abundance in food and warmth, a home of your own and family to cherish life with.  I pray you have laughter and a hearty turkey induced nap by a roaring fire.  Whatever your Thanksgiving wishes, I pray they all come true.

And there is one other thing I am very thankful for … You.  Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing my memories with me.