Thanksgiving Memories

In 1995 we spent Thanksgiving in Ajloun Jordan. Wendy was very pregnant with Ashton, who would be born only about 10 days later in Amman Jordan. I am not sure that either of us were too excited about the Thanksgiving meal or even fellowship time. Wendy was miserable because of gestational diabetes. I was exhausted because the little bed we had to sleep in was not big enough for me and a very pregnant wife. Wendy typically took up 80% of the bed. I usually tried to sleep on my side with my arms hanging off the side of the bed.

The next year, we were driving through Louisiana on our way from Blue Springs, Missouri, to Big Point, Mississippi, to attend my niece and nephew's wedding. Around lunch time we tried to stop somewhere to get lunch in this little town in the middle of nowhere. The only business that was open was a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. We went in and found out they were closing in a few minutes. We grabbed a can of Gerber's baby food (turkey) for Ashton, a bag of bread and some turkey lunch meat for us. That was our Thanksgiving meal.

Thanksgiving Traditions

A short story I wrote in 1984. This does not represent my family in the story and none of the names are actual relatives of mine. We rarely had relatives over during holidays as we always lived so far from our family. So when we were asked to share about our usual Thanksgiving, this is what I wrote.

Even before the holidays arrive I can figure out what my family will be doing. We always do the same things as if they were the expected traditional things to do. It seems as if my family has made a schedule that we must follow exactly every year.

In the morning my mother will be working on all the dinner preparations. She won't want anyone else in the kitchen, yet she will complain later how nobody volunteered to help her cook, set the table, or wash the dishes. My dad will be outside cutting wood, fixing something, or just messing around with things until they break so he can fix them. He will tell anyone who asks that there is nothing that they can do to help, but later he will be upset because he had so much work to do and nobody to help him. The rest of the family will be inside by the television. The Thanksgiving Day parade will be on, but nobody will be able to hear it for all of the talking that will be going on.

In the afternoon we will finally sit down to eat all of the food we had to smell cooking all morning. the strangest thing will occur to everybody while sitting at the table as we all think ho the food seemed to smell so much better than it looks. Since relatives will be present I will have to eat junk like cranberry sauce, beets, squash, and spinach. After forcing myself to eat all the junk food, I can finally start on the healthy things as I wander over to the dessert bar. After eating, all of the men will go into the living room to watch football while the ladies clean-up. All of the ladies will be wondering why their husbands take such a sudden interest in football when they are around other men, and the men will be wondering why their wives volunteered to help clean when they never do it at home.

Finally everything settles down in the evening as we all sit around together as a family and play cards. It will amaze everybody when they begin to realize how stupid, crooked, or how much of a slob their relatives are as we tell Aunt Betsy how to play for the fifth time, Uncle Bob cheats for three games in a row, and Uncle Frank burps constantly throughout the games. After about four games we will all sit around and tell lies to each other as we compliment the food, tell how nice everyone looks, or say how the children were just angels. Then another exciting Thanksgiving Day comes to a close.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May we each find time to be thankful for the many things God has done for us.