As we prepare the food for the Thanksgiving feast, the mind keeps drifting back to earlier times; Thanksgivings of long ago. Mom would start the preparations early in baking the numerous pies for our large family. Of course she made the usual apple and pumpkin pies, but also made lemon meringue, and coconut cream—all made from scratch. Her pie crusts were a flaky delight, (made with lard) and she made Daddy his favorite—a delicious caramel pie made by browning sugar in an iron skillet.
I can see her hands now, working tirelessly in the old farmhouse kitchen; rolling out pastry on the enamel countertop pulled out on the kitchen cabinet—the kind of cabinet that contained a built-in flour bin and sifter. The big gas range would be a monstrosity now, and the refrigerator was a gas Servel. No matter, the food she prepared was fit for a king’s table.
The day before the big day, she would select a couple of plump hens destined for the chopping block, where she speedily dispatched them, plunged them into hot water and divested them of their feathers. I hated to see them flopping around in the yard, but it was a different matter when they were stuffed with a sage-onion dressing and taken out of the oven, brown and juicy.
Mom had none of the modern conveniences, no indoor plumbing (our water came from a hand pump down in the Virginia Office yard) and our other needs taken care of by a Johnny-house in the back yard. Yet she never complained. She worked from daylight until dark, and sometimes later. I’m afraid we just took her for granted when we were growing up, but looking back, she had it hard.
When we sat down to our Thanksgiving meal, it was a banquet. With eleven of us around the table, we were a thankful bunch. The homemade bench behind the table was crowded with little tow-headed tots, and Daddy always fed the baby seated on his lap. Mom made the lightest yeast rolls, and with the red-checked oil cloth covering the table, it was literally covered with good food. I can hear Grandpa gruffly saying, “Fetch up some more bread!”
We didn’t realize it then, but we were truly blessed. Now with Grandpa gone these many years, Mom and Daddy resting in the cemetery behind the church, as is Mark and Ronnie, I realize that time has flown. But in my mind, I can still see them around the table in that old Jenny Lind house with the tattered linoleum on the dining room floor, and they live once again in memory.
The mind shifts again, and we are having Thanksgiving dinner in the old Jackson County farmhouse. I roasted a turkey in a big wood cook stove, and it was a perfect Indian summer day. It was warm, leaves were drifting down in gold and red heaps and the whole family was there. What a blessing—to be together and happy. Such memories are precious and linger on through the years. There are special days that stand out in memory and such was this one.
The time has passed when I cooked big holiday meals for our family. Our children have big families of their own, and most of them have grandchildren. I miss the family gatherings when I was able to cook for them, but now it’s not possible for them to assemble under one roof! There are blessings in being older however—this year we are invited to grandson Jeremy’s. I plan to just relax and eat.
To many people that is all Thanksgiving is about—a day off from work, and an opportunity to indulge oneself. It is so much, much more than that. Although we should be thankful every day, this is a special day to thank our Heavenly Father for all the rich blessings that He has bestowed upon us. The greatest blessing is the gift of Jesus, who was willing to come into this sin-cursed world and die on the cross of Calvary for us.
Because of Him, we can live an abundant life in this present world. Because of the Holy Spirit living in us, we no longer have to live in sin. What a blessing to be free from the chains of sin! Our blessings are manifold—we can’t begin to count them. We live in a land of plenty, where common, everyday things that we take for granted are undreamed of luxuries in many parts of our world. Our tables are full, and may our hearts be just as full of praise and gratitude.
One of the greatest blessings is the special love that God have given to us as a family. As we gather around the table this Thanksgiving Day, may we love one another more. We are thankful for each family member—from elderly grandmas and grandpas down to the tiniest baby. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure!
We don’t want to thank God just on this special day—but every day of the year we need to be more mindful of the multitude of His blessings. The greatest praise we can render unto God is a life of obedience to His will. May our lives reflect, every day, the love of God that is dwelling in our hearts.
THANKSGIVING SONG
By Laura Lee Randall
This is the day the Lord hath made:
Be glad, give thanks, rejoice;
Stand in His presence, unafraid,
In praise lift up your voice.
All perfect gifts are from above,
And all our blessings show
The amplitude of God’s dear love
Which every heart may know.
The Lord will hear before we call,
And every need supply;
Good things are freely given to all
Who on His word rely.
We come today to bring Him praise
Not for such gifts alone,
But for the higher, deeper ways
In which His love is shown.
For sin destroyed, for sorrow healed.
For health .and peace restored;
For Life and Love by Truth revealed.
We thank and bless the Lord.
This is the day the Lord hath made,
In praise lift up your voice.
In shining robes of joy arrayed,
Be glad, give thanks, rejoice.
May the blessings of Thanksgiving surround you, may your families be blessed, and may the love of God dwell richly in your hearts.
