The Morning After (Thanksgiving)

I am sitting in a snow-dusted wood, and, like many of you who are not yet wireless, typing away on an unfamiliar computer. Last night's dinner was a sublime gathering of forty in my sister and brother-in-law's house in the hills of Pennsylvania, a very piece of heaven. The evening was perfect, with family gathered from far and wide, aged 1 to ninety. Four tables for adults, and a tiny table for some very nicely dressed toddlers, were set with flowers,candles and name-tags. No flying saucers landed.

It all began with a champagne toast to "a succulent Thanksgiving", and our group, smart as whips though we were, was grateful for the reminder that "succulent" has other historic usages ("interesting, enjoyable") beside the usual. Grand turkeys and artichoke stuffing, roasted root vegetables, swiss chard, waldorf salad and much more preceded the best pumpkin and pecan pies imaginable. My sister and brother-in-law pulled it all off with the greatest of ease, and despite all of their hard work and preparation, it appeared to the rest of us to be effortless. Most of us toddled off to sleep quite late, after an hour of loud singing, assuming that the final round of clean-up will happen automatically without our intervention.

But oh how I missed my youngest child! A recent college grad, bound to her job in New York, she is one of the unsung heroes who return to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving, keeping the slowed world turning. Trying to put a positive spin on things, I advised her to have a Thanksgiving turkey sandwich yesterday. With a heavy heart, I imagined her carrying it back to her sixth floor walkup and settling in with a good book. I remember Thanksgivings when I was in my early twenties, adrift in the world, missing grand meals. Surely it builds character,surely there's a bright side, but it's hard for a mother to see. I give thanks for her and for all those whose job requires service at times like this. Thank you God!

And who knew that folks in the world at large do not have Whole Body Vibration machines handy? I miss my Soloflex!