Thanksgiving is a great time of the year.
My wife Pat and I always look forward to Turkey Day. Once again we are really excited because our family will gather and that includes our daughter Meghan, her husband Terry and their son Liam, (our grandson).
This will be the second Thanksgiving without my mother-in-law Ruth Davis, Liam’s greatgrandmother. She always looked forward to the holidays and was always planning well ahead for Thanksgiving. She used to get so excited.
Meghan has also invited her neighbor Peggy to join us since she has no family nearby.
Our son-in-law Terry is preparing the turkey. Meghan said he would be glad to do it and we are all for it.
We are gathering at their house. This year, we’re doing it on Thanksgiving Day because Terry is off work. He’s had to work Thursday through Sunday in the past some.
The other night Pat informed me our daughter Meghan is making the desserts. Pat’s mom always handled the sweet potatoes and often cooked a ham.
As we were visiting the other evening, Pat mentioned she won’t have to do quite as much. With Terry preparing the turkey, that takes a major load off of her.
Knowing Pat, though, she will feel compelled to make something for our dinner. In the past, she’s always cooked the dressing that is scrumptious.
My main job is doing whatever Pat tells me, don’t get in her or Meghan’s way and that means staying out of the kitchen.
Thanksgiving is a time for family to gather and enjoy one another and to remind ourselves why we should be grateful.
Even though I always enjoy the meal, what is best about the day is having the family together, sitting down, giving thanks and just visiting. Too often we don’t slow down long enough to appreciate each other as we should.
This year, it will also mean helping keep up with little Liam, maybe tossing around some of his balls. If it’s nice enough, we’ll go outside. He loves to go out and they have a fenced yard he enjoys.
I like to reflect when I was a kid and growing up and the large Thanksgiving gatherings we would have at my grandparents on my mother’s side of the family.
For some reason, as I grow older, family has just become more important to me and I’ve learned better to appreciate that time we get to spend together on the holiday.
Fortunately, I guess, we have a small family. With Pat, Meghan and little Liam, that means three generations of Pat’s family will be represented. That’s pretty special I think!
Hoping everyone has a great Thanksgiving Holiday. Eat lots of turkey and everything else that goes with it.