Thanksgiving dinner memories and tips

Thanksgiving was always a special day in our family when I was growing up. There were four of us girls (along with our three brothers) and I have nothing but sweet memories of all the preparations and the special feast. We always had at least 25 people for dinner, counting out-of-town relatives, and friends we would invite. So that meant setting up tables in the living room to extend our dining room table.

Some of the jobs we had when we were young were stuffing celery sticks with cream cheese, filling our mom's pretty cut glass dishes with olives and pickles, ironing tablecloths and cloth napkins, and setting the table with mom's beautiful china from the hutch. We always made name tags and spent a lot of time trying to figure out who should sit where. This was the day we always put aprons on...the homemade kind passed down from our grandma. Each of us were assigned jobs to do, and we took great pride in being part of it all. As guests arrived, we girls would offer appetizers, such as cheese and crackers and our stuffed celery sticks.

My dad always insisted on a fire in the fireplace, even though by the time everyone got there, it would get way to warm in the rooms! But he loved the tradition and it puts a smile on my face to remember how happy it made him. My dad loved his family and we were his pride and joy.

For many years, even after we all grew up and moved away from home, we came back for Thanksgiving. Each year the numbers grew as we found a place at the table for our own children as well. Mom loved doing this holiday more than any other. She was just like a mother hen gathering her chicks together.

Eventually we just became too large of a family to all gather in one home, so we had to start dividing up. Mine became one of the "host" homes...and a baton was passed. I kept many of the same traditions we had when I was growing up, and added a few of my own. As everyone gathered around the table, we would either have an appropriate Thanksgiving reading, some singing, or go around the table with each one telling something they were thankful for.

One year I made a small twig tree which I had in the middle of the kitchen table. Around it were construction paper leaves with strings attached. As each guest arrived, they wrote something they were thankful for on the leaf and hung it on the tree. It made a nice centerpiece. To this day I love setting a beautiful table and making guests feel pampered. I usually have a few appetizers on the kitchen counter to hold folks over till everyone arrives and dinner is served.

Something else I like to do is have some hot cider steaming on the stove. A few years back a young married couple who often join us for Thanksgiving dinner (as their families are out of state) came early to help. She carried cups of hot cider to the front door to greet the guests while he hung the coats. That year we had a special reading about the history of the first Thanksgiving, and we also had guitar music and singing by our two sons and a soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

Sadly, many of us are geographically scattered now so it is rare that we all are together on Thanksgiving. But with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, we are still too large a group to eat at any one house. So this year we are trying something different. We are renting the party room at mom's condo so at least as many as can make it will be together. Mom and I will each do a turkey with stuffing, as always, and I will make pumpkin pies. Everyone else will bring the side dishes, breads, and more desserts. I'm looking foward to it! Changes are difficult, but being together is what it's all about.

This week I will post some recipes and more tips that you may enjoy considering for your own special Thanksgiving celebration.

graphic from www.penniwigs.blogspot.com

"For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends, We thank you, Lord." -- The Book of Common Prayer

Acorn Pie???

Today was it was a gorgeous fall day here in NE Ohio, with temps in the low '60's. I've been wanting to visit "The Gorge" which is located between Cuyahoga Falls and Akron, with the Cuyahoga River running through it. This time of year we treasure every nice-weather day we can get because we know what's coming! Sooo...

I took my almost four year old granddaughter (the oldest of the grands) on her first hike! We walked a couple miles altogether which took a couple of hours. (It's plain I won't be running in a marathon anytime soon, or in this lifetime at all!) But this wasn't a marathon kind of day anyway.

We took our time, and deliberately stopped to listen to the sounds all around us. Squirrels were scampering in the dried leaves, which made it sound like we were being followed! Then we would stop and identify bird sounds. Acorns were falling from huge oak trees all around us. Eventually we made it to the falls, where we sat on a bench and ate our lunch.

The Cuyahoga River actually runs over a man-made dam now. Parts of the original natural falls are under the dam, and parts more down stream.

Elylah had a great time picking up dried leaves in bunches and throwing them over the railings. We spotted a lonely fisherman sitting on a rock downstream from the falls. Elylah discovered the ancient flat rocks with decades old initials of lovers carved in them. She even spotted a heart carved into an old tree.

Climbing back up the many steps to the trail above, we journeyed on to Mary Campbell's Cave. Mary Campbell was a pioneer girl from western Pennsylvania who had been captured by the Delaware Indians back in the 1700's when she was about 12 years old. She was eventually returned to her family. The cave is supposed to be the location where the Indians kept her.

We could hear the sound of water springs coming from the crevices of the rock, and that was a little scary to Elylah. She wanted to know if we would see any Indians. I didn't tell her about the arrow heads that we used to hunt for (and sometimes found) as kids in this same historic natureland. I wonder if there are any more to be found? Visitors are supposed to stay on the trail now so as not to contribute to erosion of the steep banks.

One other site I pointed out was this open area. When I was growing up, this was frozen over and was our ice skating hang out. When I looked at the large metal wood burner still there decades later, I could almost hear the sound of my frozen mittens sizzling against the side of the thing, where we gathered to keep warm. Back then after supper we would scoot down the embankment from the road above on our backsides to get a few hours of skating in, and it was very dark when we walked back home with our skates slung over our shoulders. We never thought about danger and our parents didn't worry about us either.

Finally it was time to start hiking back to the car. Some other nice hikers took our picture for us.

Elylah gathered acorns in her pockets on the way back, and we noticed how difficult it was to find them with their "hats" still attached. I explained how the squirrels were busy hiding them for their winter food. She wondered if we had collected enough to make acorn pie. umm...I don't think so!

What a fun time we had, and what a trip down memory lane for me. I delivered my granddaughter back to her house, and I returned to mine. uh...here's the Aleve?

What kinds of things are you doing to make memories this fall? Please share!

Mary Anaya's Miracle

Friends,

I hope you will have the time to read this true story that I found posted by a fellow-blogger/sister-in-Christ. I know it helped me put some things into a proper perspective today, and I think it will do the same for you. While we may not ever understand it this side of eternity, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

http://gettingdownwithjesus.blogspot.com/2009/10/mary-anayas-miracle-she-made-it-home.html

Margin

I don't know about the rest of the world this morning (literally, as I have not had time to watch the news) but I am feeling quite tired and overwhelmed. My days and weeks for the past several months (or is it years?) have been flying by at break-neck speed, and I'm feeling a bit out of control and out of order. This is NOT a good thing. I've got to get a grip and get my life back in balance.

We all know better. I know better, and you know better. Why is it then that it is all too easy to allow the tyranny of the urgent to overtake our common sense? Our bodies, minds, and spirits scream for rest and restoration, but we keep pushing to the outer limits. Achievement becomes something of a god. It also can become an addiction. Our culture rewards it and so we become hooked on always striving for more. Busyness is the black plague of our society today. It steals our energy and sense of well-being and can literally kill us like a terminal disease when we never stop to regain our center.

Richard A. Swenson has written a really good book about this subject from a Christian point of view. It is called Margin. Just as a letter or other document is easier to read when it is uncluttered in appearance and has lots of white space around the print, our lives need appropriate margin to be healthy. Here is an overview from Google Books:

Overload is not having time to finish the book you are reading on stress. Margin is having time to read it twice. Overload is fatigue. Margin is energy. Overload is red ink. Margin is black ink. Overload is hurry. Margin is calm. Overload is anxiety. Margin is security. Overload is the disease of our time. Margin is the cure. Margin is the space that once existed between ourselves and our limits. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. In Margin, Dr. Richard Swenson provides a prescription against the danger of overloaded lives. Focusing on margin in four key areas-emotional energy, physical energy, time, and finances-he offers an overall picture of health that employs contentment, simplicity, balance, and rest. If you yearn for relief from the pain and pressure of overload, take a lifelong dose of Margin . The benefits of good health, financial stability, fulfilling relationships, and availability for Gods purposes will follow you all your days. I don't know how you are faring, but I need to find some green pastures today and allow my soul to be restored. I need to look at my calendar and block off some white space. I need to take one day at a time and ask the Lord to order this one day for me. When I've asked Him in the past I've always been amazed at how faithfully He has done that for me and how much better I felt at the end of the day than I did at the beginning. May God order your day today as well. "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 A peaceful scene I saw this morning just 10 minutes from my house... What a confirmation to the majesty of God and His creation!

Meet my grandchildren...

Elylah is our first grandchild, the only girl so far, and what a buddy she is to me. Not yet four years old, she loves to cook, bake, do crafts, paint, water flowers, dust furniture and wash windows! She has taught ME how to say the names of the planets in order from the sun. She has a beautiful singing voice and delights in twirling around in dresses. She likes me to pitch her PINK wiffel ball to her that she hits with her PINK bat. Yep, she's ALL GIRL!

Deacon is two months to the day younger than Elylah. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of him! He looks so much like his dad did at this age that it is scary. He is also multi-talented, and can play the guitar and drums, and sing as well. His early claim to fame is that he can sing the alphabet backwards (His Z to A song) and he is also working on memorizing the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Owen will be two in a couple of months. He is Deacon's little brother. He is busy. All the time...very busy. He is determined to keep up with everything and everybody. His mommy caught him sleeping in a drawer recently. He has the biggest blue eyes I've every seen!

Ethan is not yet one. Little brother to Elylah, he too is very busy. Especially now that he has learned he gets a lot of attention when he goes for the steps. Ethan is the first child I've ever known who doesn't nap, unless he is being held or riding in the car. Being the youngest, I guess he doesn't want to miss anything!

***

Living to see your children's children has from ancient times been seen as a blessing from God. I don't think we really understand it until we get there, though. Grandchildren bring a new spark of joy to our lives that is quite indescribable. We get to see new life up close and personal once again, though this time from the vantage point of a little more experience and wisdom, and without the heavy weight of responsibility. Just at a time when we may be starting to experience some of the downsides of getting older, such as aging or dying parents, the realities of our own aging process in terms of our energy level or our usefulness in the workplace, etc., these precious little ones enter our lives and give the word "perspective" a whole new meaning. An added blessing, too, is seeing our own children in their new roles as parents. Though it seems like "yesterday" that they were babes in our arms, they've grown and matured and made us so proud.

"Children's children are a crown to the aged..." Proverbs 17:6

Some of my thoughts about "letting go" of my children can be read here:

http://lifebetweenthebuns.blogspot.com/2009/03/life-transitions-letting-go-of-your.html