Thanksgiving Tribute: Remembering Mom!

Having just finished the Thanksgiving holiday, is it any wonder that, while we are thankful for everything good in our life, we still reflect on who or what is missing.  Thanksgiving was the big holiday for my mother.  She pulled out all the stops to make it as special as she could, and woe to the person who would dare get in the way of making that happen.  For her it was a very important tradition of gathering family and friends near and far to feast and enjoy each other’s company.  Of course like many traditions in my family, this one also centered around good food.  With this in mind, my daughter this year insisted that we make what “Grandma always made.”  So I tried my best to do that.  And even though I know that I didn’t quite get there, I believe that Mom would still be happy with the effort.

We always had turkey for Thanksgiving. We did not just have turkey breast, but the whole turkey.  God forbid that you even mentioned having ham at Thanksgiving, that would be sacrilege to all foods that represented the Pilgrims!  There were a few times I remember having “fresh” turkey that Mom had actually “butchered” herself.  That was always a messier process though, so “store bought” was also a good alternative.  Lots of butter in an old electric roaster, and several hours of smelling it cook, was just the ticket for a successful Thanksgiving.  And who could forget the stuffing that was just a little different.  Mom did not just use bread crumbs or just cornbread, but a mixture of both with salt, pepper, onions, celery, and a little sage.  All watered down with turkey broth from the neck pieces and organ parts.  The most moist tasting stuffing you ever tasted.  No nuts or cranberries, just plain good turkey stuffing.

On top of this was sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce from a can (I never have understood why being shaped like a can was suppose to be better), and a jello salad that I thought was a weird combination with pineapple, orange jello, whipped topping, and cheese graded on top that was absolutely delicious.  Of course there was pie.  We always had pumpkin and apple pie, but for a third choice sometimes it was mincemeat or pecan, depending on fresh pecan prices.  All of these foods we became accustomed to year after year.  It was what we looked forward to all year long.  Of course my Mom did most of the work by herself because she wanted it done a certain way; her special way just for us (of course there was always the opportunity to wash dishes after, that part she saved, you got it, just for us).

So you can see that some of what we ate was fresh, some of it convenient, but trust me, all of it was good for one reason.  It was good because Mom cooked it.  We brought out the best dishes we had (that she eventually passed to me and my sisters), and we sat around the table to feast and converse about the things we were thankful for, for all that had happened that year, and all the good things to come in the future.

It would be sad to remember this if I did it with the regret of never going back there again.  But I realize that even though the place is different, people have left, and we seem to tell ourselves that we are so busy, I can go there every year as I remember how much all of the little details have shaped my life.  None of it is really gone.  It is just tucked away waiting for me to bring the memories out again and share them with new people who have joined the celebration.

 Looking around the room this year sitting with my little family, my husband, my daughter, her significant other, and extended family, all of us talking, laughing and remembering, I know that this is really what it is all about.  This is the tradition.  No matter how many are there, or who.  Whether we are in the same room, or many miles away communicating through the air waves, it is the desire to stop and be thankful for everyone in our life for however long that is.  So here’s to you, Mom.  I think we do, have it right after all.