Who Are You Missing Today?

I am feeling a little nostalgic today.  I actually almost didn't blog about this today because I didn't want to come off as a "Debbie Downer" or something.

Echos from family gatherings over the years have been surfacing in my thoughts over the past week.   I savor each memory and sometimes even catch myself smiling or even laughing a bit out loud when I catch myself reminiscing.

I remember how Thanksgiving wasn't truly happening at our house until my mother in law, Colleen, arrived with boxes and bags of food and treats and odds and ends she'd been picking up at garage sales...that had absolutely nothing to do with Thanksgiving - but each item had a story and a purpose.   Grandma Roberta (Colleen's mother) would smile and chatter away and keep telling me "Girl...sit DOWN.  You are going to plum wear your SELF out!  Get those BIG boys of yours to do the dishes!"

Thanksgiving at my Grandma and Grandpa Miller's house was an event!  I didn't get to go to many of them since they lived in Wisconsin - but it was a feast of epic proportions.   My Grandma made the best dessert bars and homemade pickles on this planet!

My brother Mike LOVED Thanksgiving more than any other holiday!   He was famous for the ability to consume 5 times his own weight in turkey and all the fixin's!

My Dad and I used to have a friendly little pie baking competition each year.  We would each bake separate pies and then eye ball each other's like we were judges at the county fair and compare notes on who had the flakiest crust.   My favorite part of the day would always come later when we sampled each other's pie and nibbled on leftovers as the family gathered for a rowdy game of "Sequence" around the dining room table.

I hope you have fun today with your family - wart's & all - it won't be perfect but it will be memorable.   How will you honor those that are no longer with us today?  Will you tell stories or set a place for them at the table?   I don't mind if you want to share their stories and pictures with me...I think by talking about them it helps keep their memories alive.

Happy Thanksgiving.....

Brenda