Happy Thanksgiving!!
Wednesday, 25 November 2009 16:25
Nikki Key
It's that time of year again! Gathering of friends, family, and the turkey! For our family, the eating binge usually begins on Thanksgiving Eve. The Key/Shuemaker clan likes to play cards. New Orleans Shuffle to be exact. Never heard of it? I'm not surprised! We call it the New Orleans Shuffle because our close family friends that live in New Orleans taught it to us in New Orleans. Creative, huh?! But nevertheless, you can rest assured several rounds of this game will be played tonight. In the morning we'll have fresh fruit, pastries, and coffee as everyone is getting up and starting the day. If you haven't read many of my posts, one thing you'll realize quickly is I love my family. In fact, some may say the umbilical cord hasn't been cut yet. I love having everyone together, telling stories, and laughing. And while there is never an absence of love, we have experienced the absence of two loved ones this past year.
The dynamics in all families change. Matriarchs and patriarchs of the family pass away; children get married and start their own families. And as much as we hope for it, nothing can ever stay the same. We experienced the loss of my paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather last October and over the past year have tried to do things a bit differently at the holiday time. Last year we had Thanksgiving at my great-uncle's house and we're headed there again this year. I love staying at my Uncle Ira's home. It was built in 1865 and is one of the original Halliday houses in Cairo, Illinois. The Halliday family consisted of 5 brothers who made their fortunes in the barge industry. As a collector of Papua New Guinea art and former art professor, my uncle's home has always been immaculately decorated. By the time I was 5 if something was inappropriate he had me saying, "That's rude, crude, and socially unacceptable." Imagine that coming out of a five-year-old's mouth!
Last year was the first time my Uncle Ira and mom were responsible for the turkey. I wanted to watch and learn how to prepare and cook the bird...let's just say a lot of laughs ensued from this attempted lesson. They kept waiting for the turkey arms to thaw and pop out (my mom demonstrated how this was to happen with her hands) and they never did....because it was a turkey breast, not a whole turkey!!! This year, hopefully our turkey will have arms and I will see the thaw and pop out maneuver!
Whatever your Thanksgiving tradition I hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends. And if your life has changed over the past year and it's a new situation or difficult time, please know this too shall pass. It was nearly impossible to make it through a couple of hours last year without shedding tears over our recent losses. While I can't promise there will be no tears at all this year, I know our loved ones will be looking down on us and I hope this year the pain is lessened a bit and there will be more smiles and laughter as we're forging new traditions and making new memories. Because as time moves us all forward, it's really the love you were given that you pass along to the next generation. And if anything, God has richly blessed my family with lots of love.