I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Whether it was one meal or many.  With friends or with family or both.  A small gathering or a bust-the-doors-down bursting house.  There are so many ways to do Thanksgiving and so many things for which we can be thankful.

Our wonderful Thanksgiving was at my sister’s house.  We rotate the meal on the day of Thanksgiving between the three kids in the family.  Of course, we are all in our 60’s now, but I still think of us as kids because we have Mom and Dad.  Tom and I were the first to sign up for food, so we got rolls and mixed fruit, which is really easy.

My parents always bring the pies which they get from Der Dutchman.  The last couple of years they got four pies:  sugar-free apple, pumpkin, chocolate, and pecan.  Tom and Mom love pecan pie.  My sister and I prefer the sugar-free apple.  Everyone else likes the chocolate and pumpkin and they are usually the ones that have the most gone.  My brother-in-law Mike eats pumpkin pie covered with so much whipped cream you aren’t sure there is really a piece of pie under it!

Julia and Mike made turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and dressing.  My brother, Steve, and his wife, Kathy, brought a veggie tray.  None of their kids were able to come this year but we will see them at Christmas.  Nephew Jared and his wife, Alexandria, brought the green bean casserole.  John and Jackie brought sweet potato casserole and homemade macaroni and cheese.

So much food and all delicious!  I didn’t have room on my plate or in my stomach for all of that food at once.  So I just took a little bit of most everything.  I did confine myself to one piece of pie, knowing there was enough pie that we would be taking a couple of pieces home.

It was good to have time to talk to everyone at least a little bit.  Having a slightly smaller gathering meant it was easier to get to everyone.  The biggest family news was Jared’s graduation from the University of Akron law school!  The first lawyer in the family.  We have a doctor, a lawyer, professors, a preacher, musicians, a social worker, and business people.  Jared said he was just trying to keep up with all the degrees everyone else has.

Having a family gathering like this reminds me of so many blessings.  I am very thankful for my loving family and how close we all are, even if we don’t see each other often enough.