Memories of Thanksgivings Past

I have found that as we travel down life's path, family traditions have a way of changing when life takes a turn or two....We still have our traditions, but they might take on a new twist or maybe something new might be added to them, or deleted, but then again, somethings might stay the same.

So please come with me as I travel down my memory lane of my Thanksgiving past.

When I was a young mother, my mother-in-law would have Thanksgiving dinner and most of her children would come home for this special day....

She had a small home with a Dinning room table in her front room.  She would set the table with a pretty table cloth, nice dishes and white goblets.  She was a very good cook, but the rest of us would also help her with the fixings for this meal.

As the family grew, smaller tables were added for the children and more chairs would be added around the other tables.  Some times we had a lot of people home for Thanksgiving and sometimes there might not be so many.  But no matter how many would be there, there was always the turkey, dressing, gravy, candy yams, mash potatoes, jello, green salad and string beans and of coarse the pies..

The children always had fun with their cousins, the women would clean up and do the dishes and visit, the men would watch the ball games and talked....It was family time, to see each other and share with each other.  It was always a good day and we all stayed as late as we could.

Time brought about changes and family members would move, children would grow up, marry and are now having their own children.

Some of my children were now living in different states.  But when Thanksgiving would come, if they could, they would come home.

I remember one special year, all my children would be here for Thanksgiving.

My mother-in-law was going to have everyone over for dinner.  As her family had now grown to include great grandchildren, her front room would not hold everyone, so that year we had Thanksgiving dinner outside on the drive way.

The men folks went to the church and borrow about four long tables.  They were set up end to end along the drive way.  The tables were set with table clothes, paper plates and the silverware.  We had the turkey and all the rest of the goodies for this special meal.

As I sat at the table enjoy my meal and my family, I notice my little granddaughter Cara was crying.  I asked her what the matter was and she said in a sad crying voice "My friend is calling you Grandma,"  she was referring to her cousin Tawni.  Now Cara's family was living in Texas at this time and Tawni's family was living in Arizona and this Grandma was living in California, "Oh," we were living so many miles apart, so far from each other...

Now these little cousins were only about five years old at this time, so they really didn't understand the relationship between them, they just knew they were friends this day.

Grandma in all her wisdom tried to explain to Cara that it was alright that her friend was calling me Grandma, because I was her Grandma too, just like I was "her" Grandma.  I then told her, "her Mama and her friend's Mama were sisters, just like she has sisters, and because of this her friend was also her cousin."....I guess maybe she understood somewhat, for tears were now gone and smiles were there and cousins were cousins.

This is one memory, that warms my heart, of two little granddaughter on one Special Thanksgiving Day many years ago.  These little girls have now grown into beautiful young women with special husbands and sweet darling children of their own. This Grandmother loves each of them very much.....and now they too are making some Thanksgiving memories for their hearts.....