Perhaps you are at the store today to beat the rush buying Thanksgiving groceries. Each family has favorite foods they prepare for their holiday.

My parents celebrated Thanksgiving with the traditional turkey dinner. Mom woke up before dawn to roast a turkey stuffed with dressing, make buttery baked potatoes for my sister and me, bake sweet potatoes for her and Dad, open a can of green beans and jellied cranberry sauce, bake a pumpkin pie, and hand-whip cream to top it off. Mom kept her meals simple but loved to bake, so I’m sure we had a cake or custard pie for the holiday too.

I took holidays with my family for granted when I was young, knowing my folks would provide for me, and we would spend the day together. My sister and I helped Mom prepare our feast, and we cleaned up the dishes before we went off to visit relatives in the evening.

During my adult life in Oklahoma, my parents moved to the east coast, and my sister lived in Illinois. When I was married, I loved holidays with my husband and his family and rarely visited my folks or my sister for Thanksgiving. But when my husband passed away, my world changed. I spent many holidays alone. My friends were busy with their families, and I was unable to take time off work to fly across the country to visit mine. When I was a self-employed restaurant owner, there was no way I could pack up and leave during the holidays.

I got used to occupying myself on Thanksgiving Day. I went to the movies or to the casino with twenty dollars in my pocket just to be around other people. I’d grab a hamburger and mingle with the crowd in hopes that the day would pass quickly. On Black Friday I’d shop the sales and start my Christmas shopping for friends and family.

I have since retired in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia, both of my parents have passed on, and my sister now lives in Pennsylvania. I still have dear friends in Oklahoma and Louisiana who I call or text on Thanksgiving Day. The first five years I lived here, I went out to eat with acquaintances for the holidays. Then I met Walter. If you have read my blog before, you know that Walter has been my partner in life for the past eight years, and I’m thrilled to have him by my side during all holidays and celebrations. Plus, he is a fantastic cook! What more could I be thankful for?

Since Walter’s parents passed, his siblings have their own family get-togethers on Thanksgiving Day, so we generally cook at home and stuff ourselves with roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, hot rolls, and cherry or apple pie. When we realized we didn’t need so many leftovers, we started inviting our friend, Penny, to our house for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Walter met Penny when they were working for a company that transports railroad crews to their assigned trains and overnight accommodations. The minute I met her, she became my friend too. Penny spent years taking care of her mother. After her mom passed away, we invited her to join us for holiday dinners. I know how it feels to spend those days alone, and I’m thrilled she has accepted our hospitality. Although she is a bit of a hermit, as I am, she is a fascinating conversationalist. She talks politics and current events with ease and shares her work-related photography experiences with me. Penny is a kind soul, and I’m pleased to be in her company.

I know there are many folks who spend holidays alone. If they came to our house for good food and conversation, our family of teddy bears would greet them with hugs while they help Walter in the kitchen. Otis, Four, and Bee are featured in this blog. Four is named after the 4^th of July because of his patriotic sweater, and he celebrates his birthday with fireworks on July 4^th. Four has been in my life for fifteen years and traveled with me from Oklahoma to Virginia. Otis is a little pig from Christiansburg, Virginia, and was warmly welcomed into our bear community. Otis and Four have become inseparable friends. Little Bee also came with me from Oklahoma and would perhaps share her morning donuts with company on Thanksgiving morning.

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers. Count your blessings this year and invite a friend to join you. It will brighten the day with sunshine no matter the weather outside.