Gathered Together

Thanksgiving is, of course a joyful family gathering and a wonderful feast. But those who are responsible for preparing that feast know well the tension of the inevitable Day Before Thanksgiving when, no matter how well you think you’ve prepared, you have the nagging feeling that you’ve forgotten SOMETHING. Cranberries? Can milk? Butter? Is it the right KIND of butter? Who’s bringing the ice? How about the dinner rolls? Do you remember what happened THAT year?

Then you have to schedule out the oven time for each dish and co-ordinate everything so it’s all ready at the same moment without anything getting too cold. Even after the meal is done you must worry about what needs to be put away NOW and what can stay out until Second Thanksgiving at supper time. And then finding room for EVERYTHING in the fridge when the day is done.

I’ve been preparing the family Thanksgiving meal for well over 30 years, and it never fails to make me anxious to a certain degree, and it probably affects my temper now and then, NOT a good thing for a holiday. Thank goodness I have nice people helping me out, like Kelsey peeling boiled eggs for the deviled eggs or Andy always ready to run out in search of that elusive, somehow inevitable forgotten item. But it’s worth it when the family finally assembles, we say the prayer, and gathered together we all join in fellowship and feasting.