I have only spent Thanksgiving with
my family twice in 31 years that Bill and I have been married. The first was
the year my father died on Thanksgiving morning, and the second was the next
year as we grieved that first anniversary of his death.
That is no
reflection on my family – mother, three sisters, brother-in-law, numerous
nieces and nephews and now great-niece and nephews. I would love to be with them on Thanksgiving. Rather, it’s a matter of
distance and logistics. They’ve almost all lived within an hour or two of each
other, although my sister Beth has made Eureka Springs, AR her home now for a
few years. Traveling eight-plus hours from Pittsburgh in late November, only to
turn around and do it again four weeks later, was hard to manage. Living in
northeast Florida doesn’t make it easier.
Over the
years Bill and I have hosted friends at our home in Pittsburgh or been with
friends. A few times his parents come from Phoenix. Several years it was just
the two of us; one year I got the turkey dinner from Boston Market.
Our first
year in Jacksonville (Thanksgiving 2011) we had only been here a month, had not
made friends yet and were still getting to know our way around the city. We had
a lovely dinner at the Chart House on the river’s edge…again, just the two of
us.
Last year
as we dithered whether to go it alone again – I actually did make reservations –
a boater decided to host a potluck at the marina. Party-girl that I am, I
immediately threw my hat into the ring and my flatware into the buffet. There
were 22 of us at that “first” Thanksgiving.
This year
we’ll be 40 or so at the Thanksgiving feast, with turkey and dressings, ham
with raisin sauce, macaroni and cheese, several potato casseroles, butternut
squash, mashed turnips and mashed potatoes, corn soufflés and green bean casseroles,
biscuits, potato rolls, corn muffins, cranberry sauce, pumpkin bread and lots
of pies and other desserts.
Tomorrow
morning I’ll decorate the clubhouse, set up tables, count out the plates and
flatware and give thanks for God’s plan to bring this diverse group of
boaters together for a time.
