Turkey Time

     Oh, I know some of you dread turkey and being "thankful"... I know some of you feel overworked and under appreciated. I know that some of you even (gasp) dread Thanksgiving.

     Roll your eyes if you must. Thanksgiving makes me positively gleeful! 

     My children love roasted turkey! They cannot get enough of it, so while they hear others grumbling with "no, not turkey again...", my children will actually high-five each other. 

     Turkey is cheaper than beef, so I get a double bonus. I will practice my recipe a week early just to be sure I have it right before making my turkey for Thanksgiving day. 

     I really do not enjoy the "what I am grateful for..." speech as much as I just like to see everyone together. Togetherness means a lot to me. 

     I just look around the room and watch as people talk about work, sports and new babies. I watch as children who do not see each other often, find ways to get along for the day. I watch as someone brings a new "significant other" to meet the family...

     It's like watching time. 

     Yes, it is just one day, but it is one day every year. It is a place to mark time. Oh, yes I am getting older. Yes, that little girl is now a mother. It is an acknowledgement.

     This acknowledgement in itself is a blessing. Just to see each other, catch up, share a meal and watch the children play is a blessing.

      I also get a bonus blessing this year... For years, I also made home made bread rolls the morning of Thanksgiving because I had worked the night before, so I was already awake... This year... I am NOT making the bread!  Hooraayy!!!  Someone else is going to get up at 5 a.m. and start batches of bread so that there will be enough time for it to rise properly!

      Also, because I worked the overnight shift for so long, I had my own special annual tradition for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I would get everything ready, and just as others were eating, I would doze off. Sometimes I fell asleep on a sofa, in a chair or at the table. One time I was close to inhaling my mashed potatoes..
     So, for all of the years I fell asleep on the sofa, or in my Christmas dinner plate. This year, for the very first time in many years, I will be sleeping in.

      Maybe...