At work, I sometimes ask those with whom I’m speaking if they are ready for Thanksgiving. And most either answer with “Yes, I will finally have a day off work,” or “I’m not quite ready yet, to which I often reply, “whether we are ready or not, it’s still coming,” or my personal favorite, “Yes. I don’t have to cook, just bring a dish.” I would tell many of them I was just thankful that we weren’t visited with any hurricanes because last year, Helene left much destruction, and Milton, which struck on my birthday, was even more devastating.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of speaking with a gentleman who’d recently seemed to have had a stroke. He told me he was looking forward to turkey day and that his father was almost 100 and still had to have mincemeat pie as part of the family’s Thanksgiving dinner. He said nobody liked it except him. But he has it nonetheless. I told him, “I love mincemeat pie.” He was in a state of shock.

What he didn’t realize was that pie took me down memory lane. Back in the day, when I could actually see Momma and grandmomma Edna in the kitchen fixing everything from mincemeat pie to oyster casserole. Well, momma’s 91 years old now, and grandmomma Edna is gone home to be with the Lord, and so are a lot of those who used to sit around that dinner table.

As I look back, I realize how priceless those times were. Or perhaps I’m just wrapped in nostalgia, which seems to be a place where many of us would like to take a trip back to visit from time to time.

This is the season I think of my late husband Bobbie, when he and I would be in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner in anticipation of the family coming together. All the hustle and bustle, the smells of the delicious foods, and his infamous sweet potato pie that everybody couldn’t wait to get a bite of.

Maybe it’s because I’m much older, or just maybe I’ve learned to be a lot more appreciative of life in general. But as we all, no matter how large or small our feast today, take a seat to eat with our loved ones and friends, please take the time to be thankful, and spend that time wisely with a sincerity of heart. Because as time marches on, you will discover it’s not the size of the feast but the size of the heart in love for family and thankfulness for God’s many blessings that really matters.

I can truly say, “Lord, I’m thankful…”

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends! From us here at rhemalogy.com. May you and yours truly be blessed on this day!

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