The Semi-Calm Between Storms

I don't remember how I managed to get together Thanksgiving dinner when my kids were young and I was working full-time. All my kids are grown and I'm working part-time (full-time at the moment because all three of my classes are about to end and I've been picking up scoring shifts here and there). I guess when my sons were very young we went to other relatives' houses for Thanksgiving, so I didn't have to do much except get them all together and take a dish. One year we surprised my mother and grandmother by flying up from Florida; instead of my mom being happy as I had hoped, she became frantic about whether there was enough food. Perhaps in retrospect it wasn't such a great idea. But it turned out fine, and my kids and grandmother were happy.

This week I wasn't able to do as much in advance as I would have liked. I managed to make the cranberry relish last night. It's always better if the flavors have a chance to blend a few days, but that was the best I could do. I cooked sweet potatoes last night too and mashed them up with a little half and half and butter. They'll be easy to heat that way. I bought stuffing and a carrot cake, and this morning I made two pies, pumpkin and apple, from scratch. The apple one is in the oven now, and the turkey in on the counter, prepped and ready to go in when the pie comes out. My son and his girlfriend are doing the mashed potatoes; I'll put the other son who's here on clean-up duty. They'll be here in a few minutes.

I have been thinking a lot lately about those who are gone, and about people who will be alone today. My oldest son is coming down for Christmas; he was going to try to work today, or he might go with his dad to his grandmother's house. I hope it is the latter. I'm glad that some of my family is able to be here for Thanksgiving; a few years ago I spent Thanksgiving alone and it was no fun. I'm grateful for a distraction from work and from thinking about lost loved ones. Of course, there are many other things I'm grateful for, including the usual ones that many of us take for granted: a home, enough food, a half-decent job, and my wonderful family. I know that not everyone has all (or any) of that. If you are reading this, I hope you have a Thanksgiving filled with the love of friends and family.