Thanksgiving has ALWAYS been one of my very FAVORITE holidays! Growing up, the day consisted of food family football! There was prep the day before- getting out the traditional “orange plates” that were handed down from my great-grandmother and used only on Thanksgiving. (My brother Todd’s family now has those plates) My MOM made several homemade pumpkin & apple pies the day before and her homemade topping hard sauce which was lots of butter & sugar. The 25 pound turkey went in the oven first thing in the morning so dinner would be ready mid- afternoon after my brothers football games. My father carved the turkey. We said GRACE. Lots of tradition & special side dishes = LOTS of dishes to wash. The girls washed dishes and the boys watched football games on TV...endless football.
Up until a few days ago, I was very excited about Thanksgiving this year. I had a plane ticket to Florida. Along with several of my siblings- we had planned to rent a big house and have thanksgiving with my MOM. She’s had a challenging year health wise and recently had a heart procedure. At 87 years old, I know that her time with US is precious. With the uptick of this crazy pandemic looming, I made the decision to cancel my flight and stay home. As much as I’ll miss being with my Mom & family, I know it’s the right thing to do. I remind myself that the right decision is often not the easy choice.