The Calm Before the Feast

Well, Cindi's been a busy little beaver. Cranberry sauce is made. Crackers are made. Pecan, Pumpkin and Chocolate pies made (and Bekah made a Cherry one). Potatoes peeled and sitting in water. Turnips and parsnips already cooked and blended, only needing to reheat. Sweet potato soufflé assembled and ready for baking. Turkey (a rather spendy organically raised critter) has been thawing for days and will shortly end up in brine. Bacon already cooked and ready to sauté with the shredded brussel sprouts and onions. Dubliner, Brie and a garlic cheese ready to serve up with crackers and summer sausage as appetizers (not doing much with appetizers this year). David's bringing some rolls and I'm making up a double batch of paleo dinner rolls (tapioca is amazing stuff). The gravy will be fixed tomorrow and the taters mashed, the bird carved up and we'll be ready to feast indeed.

I vacuumed and dusted; drew up a thanksgiving litany (below); prepared some music for this coming Sunday; washed the car (which was covered in salt spray thanks to a truck on 1-44!); picked up some eggs from Shirley, and still have to sweep and mop in kitchen, but am waiting till we really are done for the day.

The activity has been good. Keeps the mind occupied. We're all missing Jo dreadfully at this time of year, and Cindi has been particularly grieving as we head through this first holiday without her. And, of course, it was the day after Thanksgiving that my own mother died nineteen years ago this year. Nineteen years...it doesn't seem possible. I remember it like it was yesterday - the phone call from the hospital. [I had originally written 20 years, thinking 2014 - but we're not there yet! All the stuff for work is focused on next year!]

So the sorrows cluster around the holidays. But also the joys. A new generation will sit at that old table this year (it was Cindi's grandmother's grandmother's originally). And little Lydia will be our joy and hopefully we'll have some face time with Lauren, Dean, Sawyer and Annabelle. And we will give thanks to the One who defeated death and has promised us a home we cannot lose. It will be hard and painful, but it will also be blessed.