Thanksgiving for many, is a time when families come together.
It represents the connectedness we feel when we are with extended family and the longing we experience when there is distance between us.
Oftentimes included in the celebration are football games, parades, food and fellowship.
For me, Thanksgiving represents a day dedicated to being with family and friends. It is a day filled with rich smells from the kitchen, recipes shared for generations, lively conversation, laughter and stories from holidays past, with those whose memories remain in spirit. It is a day like no other; a day when family above all else, takes center stage.
I can still remember the Thanksgiving when my grandmother tried to explain her sweet potato pie recipe to my mother-in-law over the telephone. Much of the instructions included a pinch of this and a dab of that and so on. I’m not sure either one of them got much out of the conversation related to the actual pie recipe, but they had one heck of a good time laughing about it.
You see, my grandmother, Jule Mary, although an excellent cook, never followed a recipe. If it’s possible to cook solely on instinct, she did. The same people skills she used outside of the home, in life, she applied to cooking.
Jule Mary used her keen sense of observation to keep a close watch on strangers in the neighborhood and the same watchful eye to tell when her consistently perfect pie crust, was done.
If a situation didn’t smell right, so-to speak or feel good, much like if fruit were mushy, she’d walk away. My grandmother was a patient cook; she never rushed the process or was ever caught opening the oven door to take a tiny peak.
Likewise, in her style of discipline and interactions with anyone who crossed her path. Jule Mary was an intent listener with a great deal of tolerance. Her actions and decisions were purposeful and each opportunity for error, served as an even greater opportunity for growth. Besides her family, her faith and cooking, Jule Mary found joy in the successes of others, as a result of life lessons learned.
You see, recipes used in cooking are much like life lessons. Both require a combination of ingredients, whether the recipe calls for baking powder and flour or positive reinforcement and supervision. Thanksgiving is a great time to fill our recipe boxes with life lessons.
A few of my favorite recipes for life include: (1) A cake iced with a dab of “Treat others as you would like to be treated,” (2) Biscuits buttered with a bit of “Discipline yourself, so others don’t have to” and the mouth watering, (3) Pie filling, seasoned with a whole lot of “Actions speak louder than words.”
This Thanksgiving, savor not only mom’s homemade cranberry relish and Aunt Jane’s apple dumplings. As a family, take in super-sized spoon fulls of special moments like watching the Macy’s Day Parade, serve up one on one time by the gallons and if asked by your children if you would like to engage in an activity in addition to another activity, say, “yes.”
It is from these moments that memories are created and recipes for life are learned and tested and taught to the next generation of chefs.
Popular Stories:
Once Again, Thanksgiving Dinner at The Diner Benefits Charity
Penn State Football: Bill O’Brien’s Thanksgiving Day Message of Family, Team and Gratitude
Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Look To Play Spoiler Against Wisconsin
