Remembering Thanksgiving

Holy cow...has it been a whole week? (...yeah..a week and then some!) I must have dozed off or something.

Tis the week of turkey. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday...at least it was my favorite holiday when I was growing up. I feel that starting to fade some. When I lived in Carolina, spring was my favorite season. After living in Colorado for a few years, I emailed the family to report the latest snowstorm. We got 36 inches in 2 days one March. My eldest brother replied to me with a Carolina weather report. It was such a beautiful description, I closed my eyes and could see it, feel it and smell it. I wish I would have saved it. You can't beat spring in Carolina. S pring in Colorado equals snow. Really heavy, sloppy, wet, nasty-ass snow. YICK!

Being away from my family for so long is starting to change my impression of holidays, too. As much as I love my husband and my daughter, and any of our friends that we may end up sharing the day with, it just isn't the same as Carolina.

We moved from Texas back to Carolina in 1980. The first year or two that we lived there, my parents invited Virginia Clemmer to our home for Thanksgiving dinner. Ms. Clemmer was an elderly woman who lived alone. She was in relatively poor health, she didn't have much money, and what money she did have, she gave away. Her home was pretty run down, she didn't have any family, and she was the sweetest woman in the world. The next year, she told my folks that she had a couple friends who didn't have any where to go, and would we mind having them, too. As the years passed, the guest list got bigger. Eventually, we moved into the church's school cafeteria, then into the church's multi-purpose room.

The last time I participated in this dinner was 1993. We served more than 200 people. The entire community got involved. We had dozens and dozens of volunteers. Some came early to set up tables and chairs, to cook, and serve. Some drove all over the city to pick up elderly and bring them to the church. Lots of people donated food, and still others came when the party was over and helped wash dishes. We served dozens of turkeys and hams. There were more casseroles and pies than you could count.

And the company was fantastic. There is so much to learn from senior citizens. But they weren't all old or lonely. Lots of families joined us for the day, too. We'd gather for 3 or 4 hours, then pack to-go boxes for everyone and drive them home again.

These people were SO grateful. They hugged us and thanked us profusely, tearing up as they told us how much they looked forward to our party every year.

It was empowering to me. To know that I could have so much impact on another person's life. It was such a learning experience for me. I learned how to communicate with adults. I got to see how adults communicated with each other. I learned what can be accomplished when we all work together.

I've been in Colorado since 1994 and I haven't participated in anything that even comes close to those dinners in Carolina. It makes me sad. I feel the holiday loosing meaning, and that scares me. This memory is part of who I am and I can't loose it.

I took my first step this year by donating a turkey dinner to the local food bank. I took my daughter with me to the store to purchase everything you need for a fabulous feast (we even threw in some cinnamon rolls for breakfast). We boxed it all up and delivered it to the food bank on Sunday. It was pretty cool. Next year we'll do it again. And when my daughter is a little older, we'll go serve food at a homeless shelter. Until then, I'm going to keep telling my story in hopes that it will stay alive in my heart.

So what's your greatest Thanksgiving memory?



ps. I shared this memory with my mother one day and she chucked and said, "Well, it didn't happen exactly like THAT." Which leads me to believe that Virgina Clemmer played a much greater role in this story than I gave her credit for. I can say this, I attribute the idea to her. I don't believe this incredible dinner would have ever happened had it not been for Ms. Clemmer. And 17 years later, that Thanksgiving dinner is still being hosted.