Harvest Table 2013

Thanksgiving has always been a big holiday in my family.  Usually we went to my dad's parents, Tom and Mary Hendricks where the definition of a down home Southern meal was invented.

I came across a recipe for her mac and cheese in her handwriting yesterday while I was looking for my mom's recipe for cornbread dressing.  Being in the freeze ahead cooking mood I made a triple batch of dressing resulting in 8 pans to stow away for busy school nights.

I love that I still have some of my favorite holiday dishes in now deceased family's handwriting.  It's like a little piece of them is still with me as I make the same recipes as part of our holiday meal.  Later today we will be celebrating with our neighbors whom our kids spent many an hour playing together. Tomorrow, Brian will be here for a part of the weekend and a chance to visit with the boys.  We have plans for a family movie night, heading over to Durham Science and Life, and the opportunity to get up our holiday decorations.

In a season of thankfulness I am grateful for my family, friends that are surrogate family, my health and that of my boys, a positive year for both Ben and Ian at school, their growing independence and finding their own talents and passions, faith that sustains the trials and joys of life, and work that is challenging but also deeply meaningful.

Back in 2008 I wrote a post called Turkey in the Rec Room in which I told the story of the last holiday my immediate family was together was spent at Greenville Memorial Hospital.  It was a meal of a forgotten turkey (as well as most of the rest of the meal) and  substitutions of crackers and ice cream from the nurses station.  It was a story of how despite difficult circumstances the only thing we really needed was each other to celebrate.

Happy Thanksgiving, may it be time with those that mean the most to you.