Thanksgiving thoughts

As I reflect back to past years when we were entertained by the Russell troupe on the fireplace stage....other Thanksgivings come to mind. I miss those days....when we were the young ones....with little ones. I was thinner....certainly more energetic...and all I was responsible for was a few pies....and helping out when needed. Now....we are the matriarch and patriarch of the family and I am not all that thrilled with the position or the responsibilities. :)

My plan....and hope was that the whole dressing deal would skip a generation....go from Mom to Katie or Amy...but it has landed here now. We have Dad's recipe...we did get him to write it down as he made it one year....but it will never taste the same ....much like Gran's famous pound cake. He believed in getting your hands dirty....digging deep into the cornbread and broth...and he always tasted it along....adding more sage. We will try to recreate it...and recapture it...but it will be his touch that will be missing. How do you add a dash of Dad to cornbread dressing?

Amy is home...and we are treasuring these two days with her alone. That doesn't happen much anymore so it is sacred time. We snuggle and giggle and try to catch up on all the nonsense...some serious....some whimsical....and lots of hugging sandwiches. She has been clipping pictures from magazines to create the perfect wedding. We don't always see eye to eye....but I am reminded it is her wedding...and it is. Her dilemma is sometimes she is elegant and other times fun with a touch of country....or other times shabby chic with glitz and glamor . Getting all of her moods and tastes and visions pulled together is a challenge. But...that is Amy....complicated but simple. It is what makes her so special. So her wedding will be her! And....that means is will be the most special wedding ever....with the most beautiful bride and the most handsome groom. I can't wait! What fun!

Katie and Charles are in Vegas taking a much needed little break and then coming here to spend the holidays with family. They will go back and forth and back again between the two families. We are so blessed because all the kid's other families are right around here....making it nice for us....probably tough for them.

Mom is coming. Jim and I have both lost a parent...his dad will join my mom at the table. Both feeling the loss of their mates. Mom's loss will be fresh...Papa's loss is constant. Dad's dressing...Gran's Waldorf salad....both will be reminders of the past....but we are thankful. Along with the memories of the past there will be a new addition to remind us of the future....Andy and Bobbie will have their first year with their little blessing. We are all thankful for the joy that Miss Shelby has brought to our lives. We have lost.....and we have grown....and that is the nature of the sandwich!