Thanksgiving Rundown

Thanksgiving is typically a time for our family to get together to catch up on the past and make plans for the future. The meal offers an excuse to sit around the table together and enjoy each others company- something that happens with less and less frequency. It's also the start of the holiday season and thoughts for getting and decorating a tree are discussed in relaxed conversations that take place somewhere between the main meal and desert, as people stretch back and relax and listen and talk, and think about how good it is to be together. At least, that's how it is most years. This year was a little different.

I took Wednesday off from work- the excuse being that I could get a little Christmas and food shopping done. But the reality was that it left me free to be "on call" for when Jake let me know to pick him up from college- which turned out to be around 10:30. After getting Jake, we headed home with his laundry and his sore throat, for which we made a doctor's appointment later that afternoon (the throat that is, not the laundry). Before the appointment, Jake took a two hour nap while I picked up Rachael from her  work and then put out decorations and baked pies and party mix for the guests that ultimately wouldn't be coming to visit after tomorrow's dinner.

After Jake's nap and after his doctor's appointment, we went to the local CVS and waited for them to fill his prescription. In CVS time, this took "10 to 15 minutes". In real world time, it was close to an hour. We headed home in the darkness and I finished the last of my baking for the night.

I awoke at 6:00 to a bright, sunny Thanksgiving morning and I crawled out of bed to prepare the three turkeys- one big one for our tiny oven, and two small ones for the smoker (which was likely to be at least an all day affair). I had planned to do this figuring we would be having guests later, and since we would be around all day, it would be the perfect time. Plus, I like making soup from the smoked turkeys- even though I have more in the freezer than I know what to do with. An hour so later, as I was wrapping up, Jake came downstairs having had an awful nights sleep. There was some dispute as to whether this was due to his sore throat, his sweat pants or his crummy mattress but it seems likely it was a combination of all three. He went back to sleep on the couch. Soon after, Sam came down and busied himself quietly so as not to wake his brother.

Midmorning was the usual brief calm before the storm- the turkeys had been consigned to their fate and it wasn't quite time to assemble the second tier players of mashed potatoes, yams and other various vegetables. Rachael had expressed a desire to cook a couple of vegetables, which was more than fine with me. This would have to wait until after she and Jake made a brief visit to the high school football game.

Before Rachael and Jake left for the game, Helaina and Paul stopped by for a quick visit. They would be heading out to spend the day with his parents and could only stay long enough to say "Hi". So, after a brief visit, they left, as did Rachael and Jake, and I puttered in the kitchen trying to figure out if the turkey would be getting done too soon or too late.

When Rachael and Jake got back, Jake flopped on the couch again and Rachael went to work in the kitchen. Our kitchen is pretty tiny. Sometimes it feels too small for one person, so two people trying to cook and meet a deadline can be, shall we say, stressful. This was definitely the case- to the point where I felt my time was better spent sitting in the living room and staring at the rug.

Finally, we gathered at the table with our food. Like every year, we went around the table, each of us giving thanks before eating. Unlike every year, a member of the family wasn't able to be there. I must say that it came as no great surprise, indeed, I've been expecting it- for years. But that is not to say that I was prepared for either the profound sense of loss, or for the stark realization that the crowd around our too small dining room table would slowly be thinning out over the coming, not too distant years.

Before long, the meal was over. Rachael left to visit with some friends. Jake collapsed again on the couch, losing his struggle to fatigue and frustration. I would be bringing him back to school early the next morning. The deserts would stay uneaten on the porch where they had been left to cool.

With the house even quieter than it was before, I stood at the front door and stared out at the now greying sky and watched as the growing wind scattered the dry leaves away from the barren trees. As I stood there, I wondered what it was I was waiting for.