My Favorite Time of the Year

I love Thanksgiving! It is my favorite Holiday. It brings back memories of my grandmother Bernice, who we affectionately called, "Dear". I remember the smells of her cooking with my mom and aunts. We always had a huge dinner. There was turkey, ham, beef, lamb, lasagna, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, greens, rutabagas (never liked those), potato salad, cranberry sauce and to top it all off, homemade rolls. There was always a line of people waiting to grab them as they came out piping hot from the oven. There were always people "stopping by". They knew how well our family cooked. It was always a treat for us to see who was coming through the door. Needless to say, we were stuffed by the end of dinner. Then came dessert. There were too many to count, but the last thing brought out was always the cheesecake that my grandma had made and hid in the back of the fridge. We would claim our space on the couch to recuperate. We would laugh about Thanksgivings from previous years and compliment all the cooks for another wonderful meal. There was plenty for everyone to take a plate home for the next day. It seemed so simple then. My grandmother has been gone for six years now and our once big family dinners have dwindled down to just my immediate family. My mom, husband and children. The rest of the family have all gone their own ways. I guess my grandma was the glue that held us all together. My mom and I split the task of cooking between the two of us. She makes the turkey, sweet potatoes, rolls and a vegetable. I make the beef, another vegetable, macaroni and cheese and various desserts. We are still stuffed at the end of the day and they is still plenty left over for the next days. We still talk about "the old days" and how much we miss our family and friends that are no longer with us. I hope my children have great memories. I do wish they had been around to experience the family when we were all together. It was great being with all the cousins, uncles, aunts and friends. Things have changed, but I am thankful that I have a family to share my memories with and build new ones with as well. The tears well up in my eyes as I reminisce, but there is a smile on my face. What a wonderful time it was, what a wonderful time it continues to be. If you're in the neighborhood, come by. There is always room for one more.