Giving thanks (aka eating too much)

I did it. I survived my first real Thanksgiving meal. When I made a plan last month to return from my Kansas City/California trip before the big day, I thought it would be nice to have a little Turkey Day gathering at our place. My friend Dan was looking for a co-conspirator to make the big meal and so an idea was born. In years past, I've either chickened out (literally--making my sister's famous "Chicken Elegan") or joined the Killeen-Wessels in Astoria for a friendly potluck supper. But this year I felt up to the challenge of a turkey-basting marathon dinner. And perhaps with Elisa getting older, I am yearning for some traditions we can stick with. So on Tuesday, Dan and I met for a little planning session and on Wednesday the cooking began in earnest. By yesterday morning, the timeline was pretty well mapped out and at 5 p.m. we had dinner on the table. Not bad. Especially when I heard about my friend Carl's first turkey disaster--let's just say the fresh bird was finally cooked and ready at 3 a.m. Really? Who does that??

So this post doesn't have a cute family portrait to go with it, but then I was kind of busy. However, I did manage to capture the food and the lovely table we had thanks to Dan's flowers (and a few leftover pumpkins). Having new friends join us (my friend Karen and her son Paul, and cousins and the aunt of our late friend Patrick) was a good reminder that giving thanks can have so many meanings. It can be the thanks of having a nice meal to share on this day or the gratitude of health and family when faced with incredible tragedy. Last Thanksgiving we played and ate at Molly and Ronan's, knowing that Patrick was back in Missouri following his first bout of cancer treatment. I didn't think much of it at the time, except to wish him a speedy recovery. And this year, we mourn for what we've lost and remember Patrick's life only a month after his passing. It doesn't seem real and yet, we know it is. The truth is that every year I try to remember what I am thankful for and realize that nothing is guaranteed in this life. This holiday I think that's even more important.