Hi, YNS Friends –

Happy November! This is one of my favorite times of the year: the calm before the hustle & bustle of the holiday season; the anticipation of good things to come, without the pressure of needing to get things done yet. Next week, we in the U.S. will be celebrating Thanksgiving.

To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t have a plethora of Thanksgiving traditions. I’ve tried a few times to start some; inviting extended family and friends, setting the table with the good china, serving the traditional dinner of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc., going around the table and having each person tell one thing they’re grateful for, and so on. All that Norman Rockwell stuff.

None of those traditions I tried on for size ever fit. On those occasions when I attempted to implement the formula for an all-American Thanksgiving, I always felt a bit like a phony; like I was playing ‘dress up.’ That could be because I didn’t have a whole lot of experience in the holiday rituals department.

After all, Thanksgiving in the home where I grew up? Not a terribly big deal. My parents divorced by the time I was three, so on the holidays it was always just my mom, sister, and me. My sister is ten years older than I am, and by the time I was 10, she was married and lived across the country. From that point forward, Mom and I were on our own.

God bless her, Mom was not much of a cook. She taught at a community college, and often had evening classes. Thus, I ate a lot of my meals with Chef Boyardee and Mama Celeste.

Our Thanksgivings looked something like this: we would watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade together on the TV in the den. I sat there in my p.j.s and Mom worked on whatever project she was sewing at her machine. Then, once the parade was over, Mom would settle in for a full day of watching football. It didn’t matter who was playing; she’d watch all the teams, though the Dallas Cowboys and the University of Oklahoma Sooners were the only teams she truly rooted for. Not much for football, I’d go back to her bedroom and lounge on her big bed while taking in the annual Twilight Zone marathon on one of the cable channels.

Eventually, Mom would holler back to me and ask me what I wanted to eat for Thanksgiving, as if it had just occurred to her that some sort of meal was in order. At least one year, and possibly more, we went through the drive-thru of Del Taco. More often than not, though, I’d yell back, “Chicken and dumplings,” and within a few hours I’d be rolling and slicing biscuit dough, then dropping the strips into a simmering pot of chicken broth.

Last month, my mother died unexpectedly. For the past seven years, she lived within a mile of me and we spoke or saw each other daily. We had a complicated relationship, and when I complained about her, friends whose mothers had passed away would often say something like, “You’re lucky — I wish my mom was here for me to argue with.” My response would often be “You might not say that if you’d had my mom…”

Now, I get it. There’s very little I wouldn’t give to have my mom here for Thanksgiving. I wish I had the opportunity for one last conversation. What would I say? Of course, I would tell her that I love her, but more importantly, I would say, from the bottom of my heart, “Thank you.” I know she knew that I loved her, but I wonder if she knew or could feel how profoundly grateful I am to her for all that she did for me, and later, for my boys.

So, Mom, if you’re watching, this one is for you:
This little Thanksgiving number was created using the adorable Life Is Great image. Here’s a close up of this cute little gal in her paper-pieced teal turtleneck:
As I’ve gone through some of the things at Mom’s house, I was surprised to find she’d kept every card I’ve ever made for her. Even though she never acted like they were anything out of the ordinary, I think she must have liked them, and I think she’d like this one, too.

This Thanksgiving, we’ll be heading out for lunch at one of my husband’s aunts. His grandmother is 101 years old, so we can’t not have Thanksgiving with Granny. But when we get home, I think I’ve figured out what I’ll make for dinner for Sean and the boys: chicken and dumplings, in honor of Mom. Maybe it will even become a tradition.

For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving next week, what is one of your favorite traditions? If you aren’t celebrating Thanksgiving or don’t have any traditions, tell me something or someone for whom you’re grateful. You have until midnight next Thursday (aka Thanksgiving) to be eligible for Karen’s random selection of one lucky commenter to win the Life Is Great set.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite blessings. If you like it, feel free to adopt it as your own.

Lord, for food in a world where many walk hungry,
For faith in a world where many walk in fear,
And for family and friends in a world where many walk alone,
We give you our thanks.

Amen

XO – Carole