Almost Thanksgiving Day

Hello,

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving Day is almost here. I bought my turkey this weekend and it is now thawing. I am looking forward to all the delicious food prepared for the day. As I prepare for the day with shopping for food, I am reminded of the Thanksgiving meals my parents prepared for the family. My dad was always up early to cook the turkey. It was always daddys job to cook the turkey. He also peeled lots of potatoes for mashed potatoes. My mom would be busy making apple and pumpkin pies. Oh, the aroma of all the food cooking. My mom also put together a relish try of green olives with the red pimento in the center. I never did acquire a taste for those. She also added sweet pickle jerkins, dill pickles and black olives. The black olives were my favorite. When no one was looking I would sneak a couple of the black olives. Well, after a few trips of sneaking there weren't too many olives left. Mom, must of guessed my desire for those olives as when dinner was set the tray was again filled with olives.
I enjoy reflecting on the holiday when I was a child. My mom passed away just prior to my 21st birthday, so I have now had many Thanksgivings without her. I do however always remember her at this time of year.
Over the years, my family has come up our favorite foods we like to prepare. My boys have never liked the relish tray, so I only get the olives and sometimes the sweet pickle jerkins. One year I tried making sweet potatoes with fresh potatoes instead of the canned. Well, canned yams are NOT allowed to enter our home. They LOVE moms fresh sweet potatoes. I have had friends request my sweet potatoes if we attend Thanksgiving somewhere else. I tried to make cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries one year. They weren't to crazy about those.
I am so lucky I have four boys that like to cook. They help make apple and pumpkins pies, they make great mashed potatoes (they add seasoning to flavor them up - YUM!), they help with the stuffing and have even made biscuits from scratch. As they become better cooks they suggest something new to be tried for dinner.
May you have time to reflect on the past and also enjoy the moment at the present.
My heart is filled full with the love of my family and the spirt of my lord. May your heart also be full and thankful for all you have.
Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving, Love Diane