Feb2

HAPPY FEBRUARY

Posted on February 2, 2013 by susezit

Happy February! Happy almost Valentine’s Day! Happy month of love! February is the month you should really focus on all things pertaining to your heart and to keeping it strong. It’s heart health month, after all! And the one thing that will keep your heart beating like nothing else in the world is. of course, love.

Now, I feel kind of hypocritical writing about love and affairs of the heart because for quite some time now I have become kind of hardened, “jaded and bitter,” as I like to describe myself. A long-term relationship crashed and burned in a twisted wreck of lies and deception, but I am over it. I’ve just been having trouble taking the first step in beginning again. It seems like too much work, and I have become complacent. I’ve carved out a nice, safe, comfortable niche for myself, and for the most part, I enjoy my own company and the freedom of doing what I want when I want to do it. But then there are other times when these cold winter nights are so long and boring that I just don’t know what to do with myself. I wish I had someone to talk with, to have a glass of wine and a nice dinner with. Someone who could make me laugh again.

At my daughter’s wedding recently I read a passage from Corinthians 13, a part of which goes like this:

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love,

I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;

if I have all faith so as to move mountains

but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast

but do not have love, I have nothing.

The message, of course, is loud and clear…If don’t have love, you have nothing. I guess I have nothing, and it’s not a happy way to live.

So maybe it’s time for me to begin again and do what I have to do to keep my heart alive and well and beating strongly. How I’m going to do this, I’m not quite sure. But I think I have to at least try to see if there’s a chance that a nice guy is out there waiting for me to take that first step to open my heart to the possibilities of what love may bring.

Do you know any nice guys? 🙂

Jan30

WISH I WERE FAMOUS

Posted on January 30, 2013 by susezit

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I’m watching the movie “Almost Famous,” and I’m crying because I’m reliving my youth and missing who I used to be. What do I love about this movie? In a word….everything…. I love that era so much that it hurts. I miss the music and my yellow Volkswagen Beetle in which I drove cross-country. Kate Hudson is wearing a multi-colored knit shirt that I use to own. It was my favorite and wearing it made me feel free. I’m wondering why I ever gave it away – like the life I wanted to live. I gave it all away – my youth, my freedom, my soul. I gave it all away to someone who didn’t deserve it.

In that time and space, I felt free. Like I could do and become anything in the world. And I wanted to become so many things…an actress…a writer…a dancer. I wanted to live in total freedom from all the restrictions of the world. But here I am…nowhere near where I wanted to be because I made the wrong choices. Now I know I’m getting dramatic because things haven’t been totally awful. But as I watch this movie I’m thrown back into a time and place that was so exciting and awe-inspiring, and I miss the me I used to be. I’m thrown back in time when guys had long hair and wore paisley shirts and wide bell bottom jeans. They were so cute and endearing. Some had mustaches, some had beards. They wore steel-rimmed or aviator glasses. Back in those days, I had a boyfriend named Dave who was this guy. Why did I leave him?

I’m filled with introspection and longing tonight as I watch this movie, letting it throw me back in time and space. They’re playing Cat Stevens’ “Wind of My Soul” as Kate Hudson dances barefoot across a stage. My heart weeps. My life has not turned out the way I planned, and tonight I’m feeling it more than usual because I’m doing the very thing now that made me very miserable then, as I struggle to become the person I want to be.

I want to be free from all the cares in the world. I want to dance barefoot across a stage to “Wind of my Soul” in my gauze blouse with my long straight hair. I know I can’t go back. I know I’m not 18 anymore. But tomorrow is another day, and who knows where the winds of time will blow me and my future? I will just have to keep holding onto the hope that there’s still time to become the me I always wanted to be. There’s just no other alternative. I have to listen to the wind of my soul and where I end up well I think only God really knows.

Thanks for the blast from the past, Mr. Crowe.

Jan27

BEEF STEW WITH CABBAGE AND NOODLES

Posted on January 27, 2013 by susezit

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The weather outside is frightening, and it’s a good day to hibernate with a bowl of good, hardy comfort food…beef stew. Now I’m not really a big red meat fan, but sometimes you just get the yen for it, and you just can’t shake it (but you can definitely substitute chicken cubes and white wine in lieu of beef and red). Yesterday, while the thermometer dipped into the teens, I dipped into my refrigerator and pulled out the makings for a wonderful winter’s feast. I’m more of a “little of this; little of that” person, but I’ve tried to write in weights and measures so you could concoct and enjoy this warm, nourishing, stick-to-your-ribs culinary pleaser. I serve it over cabbage and noodles, but you can easily add some peeled, cubed potatoes during the last ½ hour of simmering. Slice up some warm, crusty bread and pour a glass of red wine…nothing better. Enjoy!

BEEF STEW

2 lbs. of beef cubes (I usually cut each cube into fourths) (you can sub with chicken)

1 large chopped onion

3 cloves of chopped garlic

¼ cup olive oil

1 chopped green pepper

3 stalks of chopped celery

1 lb. sliced carrots

3 chopped tomatoes or 1 can stewed tomatoes

8 oz. of sliced mushrooms

½ cup red wine (chicken calls for white, of course!)

1 tbsp. Worcester sauce

1 tsp. salt (at least – more to taste)

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. parsley

Two cups of water

2 beef (or chicken if you’re substituting) bouillon cubes

Optional: 6 cubed potatoes which you add ½ hour before serving because they get mushy otherwise.

Sauté beef cubes, onions and garlic in a sauté pan in olive oil until browned. Pour browned ingredients into a large pot. Pour red wine into the sauté pan for a few seconds to caramelize juices and then pour over beef in pot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and parsley. Add Worcester sauce. Boil two cups of water in which you dissolve bouillon cubes and add to the mix. Add all other ingredients and stir. Simmer for two hours, stirring often (every 15 minutes) so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Please taste as you simmer and add a little more of this or that if you feel it’s needed. I personally don’t usually measure much but instead rely on taste testing.

CABBAGE AND NOODLES

1 head of cabbage chopped

1 large chopped onion

½ stick butter

½ cup of olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 bag of wide noodles (cooked as per directions and drained)

Melt butter in sauté pan and gently mix in olive oil. Sauté chopped cabbage and onion until soft not super wilted (it will only be slightly browned). Add salt and pepper, stir. Add noodles and mix. If mixture is dry, add a little bit more olive oil.

Serve beef stew over cabbage and noodles.

I’d love to hear your post-dinner feedback!

Jan26

PRE-DAWN TREK

Posted on January 26, 2013 by susezit

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My dog Bella woke me up this morning at 5:30 – yup, lucky me, right?! It’s actually only a half hour earlier than when my normal workday begins, but its Saturday, its cold outside and last night we had our first snow. Why, Bella, why?!?! I guess she’s just trying to torture me as she bounces on the bed panting in my face and trying my patience. But, when a dog’s gotta go, a dog’s gotta go. And what’s the alternative? Cleaning up stains on the rug? No, thanks. So, I pull on my coat and plop my hat on my sleepy head yawning uncontrollably. I can’t find my gloves, so I grab an old pair that are too big, and step out into the tundra. I lose my breath to the burst of cold wind that greets me when I open the door. Awesome…

Muttering to myself, I trudge down the snow-covered street while Bella frolics in the virgin white snow. It’s quiet and peaceful on this lonely trail up to the bay, since most sane people without pets are still wrapped up in their cozy beds and won’t rise to daylight for another three hours. I eventually trick myself into thinking that it really isn’t so bad (not) to be the only human being in the universe walking up the snowy path in the dark, which is only slightly illuminated by the pristine snow and full moon hiding behind the clouds. But if I let it, this pre-dawn trek could be a good thing. Bella immediately does her thing, so I guess she wasn’t just pulling my chain. Good girl, I praise her. She looks up at me with that big wide grin, tail wagging wildly, then streaks off into the snow, yanking my arm out of the socket. Arrgghhh…

The quiet of pre-dawn actually fills me with peace after a very stressful week. I walk along feeling calm for the first time in days. I take a cleansing deep breath of the frosty air and blow it out forming circles before me. Bella sniffs the ground and follows tiny footprints of an animal that arose even earlier than us. The ducks, which are usually quacking quietly in the swamp, have disappeared. I guess they have finally wised up to the fact that the warmth of the south isn’t a bad idea after all and have probably flown the coop. I imagine how nice the warmth of the sun would feel upon my skin right about now and yearn for the summer. Instead we turn to head home to a pot of hot coffee, which I’ll sip as I sit on my chair in meditation and watch the sun rise over the lagoon.

I can’t really say that I’m unhappy to have gotten up as early as I did, thanks to my rambunctious Labrador retriever. Guess I’m used to braving the weather in the name of walking her outside before she does something inside. But this morning Bella inadvertently has taken me on a path of mental renewal where enjoying the quiet and peace of an early morning snow has calmed my nerves and given me hope for tranquility on this cold winter’s day. Gotta love her.

Jan21

ROAD TRIP

Posted on January 21, 2013 by susezit

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I was having a bit of the January doldrums. All the excitement of an over-the-top exciting December had faded and passed, and now there just wasn’t much to look forward to except the promise of summer and warm weather, which seems so far off. Going to work in the dark and returning in the dark was wearing me down. Come on, daylight savings time! I had no plans for the weekend (as usual), and the only thing on my agenda was to relax and try to gather my thoughts and maybe come up with a plan for a new direction for my future. Pretty heady stuff, huh? After all, I don’t want to lose perspective on who I am or what’s important to me…not that I have a whole lot of control over that right now. So all I wanted to do this Friday after a rough week was retreat to my warm, cozy bed, which is exactly what I did.

Then came Saturday – I’ll just hang out and get some things done around the house…or so I thought. The day dawned with a surprise visit from a friend and his friend. I hadn’t had a Bloody Mary for quite some time, but we indulged. A suggestion was made to go to Atlantic City. And suddenly the winter doldrums turned into spring – at least it put a spring in my step. ROAD TRIP…why not? Off we went to sin city to have some fun. The guys headed for the blackjack tables while I wandered around the slot machines. “Top of the Mornin’ ” beckoned me because if you know anything about me and my favorite Irishman, Mr. Murphy, you would know that would be my only choice. Plus, free drinks? Wow and yum…life is good. So I play this fun (penny) machine with bells and whistles and Irish music and a leprechaun dancing and talking. I started talking to Mr. Murphy (in my mind, of course, since he has passed, although he’s still with me in spirit…) and I’m saying stuff like, come on, Mr. Murphy – let’s win one for the Irish! Suddenly three shamrocks appear and the machine goes wild…cha ching. Then it did it again…cha ching and cha ching and boy, was I smiling. I played and I played, and it was all good stuff. Now, big gamblers would laugh at me when I say that winning 50 bucks was a big deal, but after a while I walked away and cashed it out. And you know what? Everyone else lost their shirts!

On the way home we stopped for a bite at a cute restaurant called “The Hacienda.” We walked in and the music was playing and people were dancing, and if you know me, you know how I LOVE to dance. And so I started dancing and handsome young Steve joined me and taught this old dog a few new tricks. Then wild and wonderful Bruce whirled me around the dance floor to a charming “Lovers’ Waltz” by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, and Kentakit Ken and I boogied to a disco song. I felt like the belle of the ball…so much FUN!

Sometimes life brings you unexpected surprises, odd and different and not what you would expect or even dream up on a dull January day. Not necessarily big surprises but just plain old fun surprises and that’s what this weekend brought me. I was sorry to see our friends leave on Sunday but am happy that they brought some enjoyment and some much-needed entertainment that was desperately needed. It certainly was fun to let my hair down for a change.

The next time you’re feeling down get together with friends, have a Blood Mary, take a road trip, take a chance and then dance! Try a charming “Lovers’ Waltz.” You’ll be glad you did!

Jan1

A BRAND NEW YEAR!

Posted on January 1, 2013 by susezit

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Happy 2013! There is nothing like the promise of a brand new year. It’s the greatest gift of the whole holiday season! It’s like getting a new book you’ve been eager to read. You run your fingers over the freshly pressed cover, open it enthusiastically and begin reading with much anticipation for a story well-told. It’s like buying a lottery ticket for a high stakes outcome and waking up a winner!

A new year is a new chance to get it right. It’s like getting a “do over.” So what if last year didn’t measure up to what you were hoping for! Laid before you are 365 brand-new days to do things differently. Put away the worries and cares that have haunted you throughout the past year and forge ahead into your future of new beginnings. There’s nothing like the newness of those first few days and weeks that fill you with optimism. It’s your time to stoke the embers of disappointment into new flames of possibilities that will burn brightly throughout the year. It’s easy to imagine the positive goodness that awaits you. Seize each day and make it count!

I hope this new year will be a best seller for you – that you will win in the lottery of life. I hope that all your problems will be solved…your sicknesses healed…your homes rebuilt…your love renewed…your employment restored…your finances replenished…your faith rekindled. And when you look back on 2013 next New Year’s Day, I hope your heart will be filled with the satisfaction of a year well done.

Cheers!

Dec30

A WHIRLWIND OF ROMANCE

Posted on December 30, 2012 by susezit

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The last two weeks have been a whirlwind full of romance. Not only is it the most wonderful time of the year celebrating Jesus’ birthday, but I flew down to Key West for my daughter Megan’s wedding, came home and started a new job the next day, had a reception for the newlyweds a few days after that and then it was Christmas. Although they were all good things and cause for great celebration, at times I thought I would crack! Who wouldn’t with a stress barometer on overload?!? But it was all brilliantly blissful, and here I am looking back and imagining it was a fairy tale… the happily ever after kind.

Megan and Matt are now husband and wife. Their journey has just begun. As I stood watching their wedding photo session at the Southern most point of the United States with palm trees blowing, sailboats passing and a gorgeous sun setting in the background, I couldn’t help but think of the voyage that lies ahead for them. Once they settle down from all the excitement and wonder and beauty of a magically perfect wedding day and reception, reality will set in. A good reality where they have promised each other that for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health they will love and support each other through life’s ups and downs. And as we seasoned adults already know, there are many ups and downs. Everyday life will begin with all its twists and turns. The road will rise and fall, good times will come, hopefully few bad times, and through it all you will have the trust and security that you feel in marriage when you know you don’t have to go through it alone. There is a hand to hold, a shoulder to lean on and someone who loves you so much that you know they will always be there for you no matter what.

I won’t pretend that marriage is easy. You love each other with all your hearts and, yet, sometimes you hate the very same person for reasons that are mostly foolish and self-serving, but sometimes very serious. You learn to work it out and talk it out and compromise and hopefully realize that giving up is not an option. And after you have worked it out, you’re proud of yourself because you’ve made it through another crisis together and love each other even more.

Marriage is meant to be forever – it’s not meant to give up on at the first sign of trouble. It means renewing a relationship over and over and over again, and growing together in understanding and loving your spouse more and more each day despite the problems that crop up from time to time. You will hopefully be blessed with children, and that will be another road traveled down together with so much joy your heart will almost burst! It will make your relationship even more precious.

So, I toast my daughter Megan and my new son Matt. Wishing you all the joy your hearts can hold and God’s blessings on each step you take down the different roads you will travel. I wish you patience, fortitude and understanding when the going gets tough, and I wish you love and laughter and silliness and fun. And don’t forget to dance together often, it’s important!

Dec9

HERE COMES THE BRIDE

Posted on December 9, 2012 by susezit

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My youngest daughter Megan is getting married this week! I’m getting butterflies even thinking about how joyous a time this is going to be.

Megan and Matt have had a wonderful journey together so far. They were not “a love at first sight” couple. They met through a college friend Jenn and “hung out” with a group of friends for a while. Then I think they kind of lost touch. When their college years were coming to a close, Megan went with Jenn to Matt’s graduation party at his house and that’s where their real story began.

When Megan and Matt began dating, our family lived in the rural area of Upper Bucks County, PA. Matt and his family lived near Atlantic City. They had kind of a long-distance romance…he would travel and spend a weekend here, and then she would travel and spend a weekend there. I don’t think it was easy for them since it was a good 2 ½ to 3 hour commute.

I remember at the beginning of all this that Megan came down with a terrible cold/flu thing which rendered her bedridden. She and Matt were talking on the phone that night and then they hung up and she fell asleep. Well, 3 hours later there was a knock at the door and there stood Matt with a quart of chicken noodle soup for Meg. That’s the moment I knew he was the one for her. Traveling three hours on a work night to bring your sick girlfriend a quart of chicken noodle soup….now that’s love.

Their romance has had its ups and downs like everyone else’s. Good times; bad times. They relocated to Florida four years ago, got a cat, bought a house, got a dog. They’ve built a wonderful life for themselves and have weathered many storms.

So now they’re making the commitment to each other to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death they do part. I know for sure that Matt has the “in sickness” part down! And Megan is one lucky girl to have someone so thoughtful and kind.

My heart bursts with pride for Megan and all she’s become in living her life her way. She’s grown into a fine young woman. I’m happy that she still believes in love despite some twists and turns that have crossed her path. And I’m glad that I’m finally going to have a wonderful new son! My cup is literally running over with happiness and joy.

So, here’s to Megan and Matt and to your happily ever after! Fairy tales do come true.

Wishing you all of God’s bountiful blessings…Love, Mom

Nov29

Movie Countdown to Christmas

Posted on November 29, 2012 by susezit

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I’m a sucker for a sappy romantic Christmas movie, and every year I make a list of must-see favorites. I just don’t feel like Christmas is complete until my list is checked off and I’m settled into the very last one…A Christmas Story…which is always shown as a 24-hour marathon on one of the TV stations on Christmas Eve.

Maybe it’s just habit or another tradition, but I need the reminders of love portrayed in these movies that warm my heart and give me hope that people are basically driven by good and by love. Love for each other…love for their family…love for their friends.

And so, in case you were wondering, I’ve listed my all-time favorites and why they are just that.

Christmas Vacation – This is my must-see Thanksgiving evening movie that kicks off the whole Christmas movie season. Yes, it’s corny and kind of goofy, but the way Chevy Chase is driven to give his beloved family the perfect Christmas despite all their dysfunctions is a reminder that no family is perfect, and yet where there is family, there is love.

Bridget Jones’ Diary– This is a love/hate movie which is so typical in most instant-hate meetings that turns into love over time. Who doesn’t melt when Renee Zellweger chases Colin Firth down the snowy English street, and he wraps his arms and coat around her and kisses her like she’s never been kissed. She says, “Wait a minute…nice boys don’t kiss like that.” And he says, “Yes, they f _ _ king do.” Who doesn’t want to be kissed like that?! Besides, he loves her just the way she is.

The Holiday – I want to go to England every time I watch this flick – to the little cottage portrayed in this movie and meet my Judd Law in a little pub in the countryside. Who doesn’t?! It’s a movie about people who think they know what’s good for them until they try something totally different. It makes you just want to fly off for Christmas and find true love. Christmas, that is, in a snowy English countryside in a cozy cottage – is this over the top romantic, or what?! Plus, Judd’s two little daughters in the movie just charm the socks off me.

Home Alone – A mother’s love will conquer even the mistake of leaving her son behind when the family goes on vacation. She will stop at nothing to make her way back to her son no matter what the cost or difficulty. I just love this, plus Macaulay Culkin is just so entertaining, and it takes place in a beautiful home that reeks of warm and cozy and family.

Serendipity – This movie confirms for me that all things happen for a reason. That you are meant to meet that one special person in the right timing…and that if it’s meant to be, it will happen no matter what the wait and what the circumstances. I want John Cusack. Enough said.

The Family Stone – Another miss-matched couple find true love with other people who happen to be family related. Uptight Sarah Jessica Parker eventually matched with easy-going Ben Wilson instead of his equally uptight, egomaniac brother. Who can’t resist Ben when he tells Sarah to just relax, let her hair down and let her freak flag fly?! Of course, this movie also deals with Ben’s mother’s cancer and knowing this will be their last Christmas together with her is sad. Another tear-jerker, but lots of fun. Plus, I get to look at Craig T. Nelson for two hours…heavy sigh…

When Harry Met Sally – Yes, Harry is annoying and so is Sally with her obsessive/compulsive craziness. This is another love/hate movie, which are my favorites. You know love is going to win out, and it does despite Harry’s defect of not being able to commit and Sally’s insistence that everything she eats be separate and on the side. When Billy Crystal takes Meg Ryan into his arms and tells her “when you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want it to begin as soon as possible,” you just have to smile.

While You Were Sleeping – It’s a whirlwind series of misunderstandings that lead Sandra Bullock to the love her life, carpenter Bill Pullman with his tight jeans and work boots. When Sandra saves a man she has a huge crush on from a train wreck, he falls into a coma and somehow she is mistaken for his fiancée. She lets the story play on only with his family so she could have the experience of a real-life caring family, which she so desperately desires. It portrays the true loneliness that people feel during the Christmas season and ends with Sandra Bullock finding the love of her life and the family she so desperately needs.

You’ve Got Mail – OK, I can’t resist Tom Hanks, especially when he coyly tries to help Meg Ryan after he inadvertently destroys her cute little book business. This movie starts out with the couple’s intense dislike, then friendship and eventually love. Plus, he brings her daisies when she’s sick in bed, and who can resist a guy like that?!

The Gathering – This is an old, old, made for TV movie that I have on VHS. I don’t know how I’m going to play it this year, since the VHS player isn’t working. I can only hope. The premise goes like this…A career-driven father, played by Ed Asner, who has put business before family and who has been estranged from his wife and family for some time finds out he is dying and wants to see his family one more time. His ex-wife arranges a Christmas reunion of his children for their sakes, not his. They don’t know he is sick, so it’s about reconnecting with family and finding out that true love never dies. He sees his newborn grandson, who they have christened on Christmas Day, for the first…and last time. Get out your tissues…

White Christmas – Another corny, sappy musical of all things…but it’s just beautiful, entertaining, sweet and fun. Christmas can’t happen for me until I see that barn door open to a beautiful Christmas Eve snowfall as Bing Crosby sings.

A Wonderful Life – Yes, this is the ultimate, old-time heart grabber that proves love wins over money every time and family is what is most important in life. And no matter how many times you see it, the message comes through loud and clear and deserves repeating just to remind us. We get it! Every time you hear a bell ring, an angel gets his wings.

A Christmas Story– This is usually last in line shown on Christmas Eve. Who doesn’t get teary eyed when this little boy has accepted the fact that despite all the hints he’s dropped and even telling Santa, he’s not going to get his “Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time,” only to watch his father’s excited expression as his son discovers with glee the ultimate gift he’s hidden for him behind the desk. Even though he does, indeed, almost shoot his eye out in the end, you gotta love that Dad who wanted nothing more than to fulfill his son’s Christmas dream. My brother got a BB gun for Christmas one year when he was just about the same age. Luckily, he never shot his eye out!

Well, these are my favorites. I hope I haven’t forgotten any, although I do like the corniness of ELF as well. As you can tell, I’ve had crushes on a lot of Christmas movie stars. Colin, Judd, John, Ben, Billy, Bill, Craig and of course, Tom. I’ll add each and every one of them to my Christmas wish list again this year. I can dream, can’t I?!?!

Time to get into my jammies, grab a cup of tea and a cozy blanket as I curl up on the couch and get watching – Christmas will be here before I know it!

What are your favorites?

Nov20

KEEPING THEM CLOSE IN MY HEART

Posted on November 20, 2012 by susezit

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Tradition: A delicate little gravy boat and pretty crystal bowl.

Mom and Dad in their younger years.

I’m missing my Mom this morning as I think about Thanksgiving preparations and what needs to be done. Where’s her gravy boat, I ask myself and then frantically search the kitchen cabinets to find it. There it is – the delicate hand-painted china boat with saucer attached – so familiar. Then I find her small crystal bowl in which I serve cole slaw just like she did. Having these two pieces, which belonged to her and graced every Thanksgiving table since I was a kid is important for me. It’s a tradition. Having these same pieces along with her china makes me feel that in some small way my Mom and Dad are still here with me, even though they passed 16 years ago.

I miss my Aunt Vi, too, my godmother. She came to every one of our Thanksgiving celebrations. We would have a rum egg nog together sprinkled with a little nutmeg as we toasted the day. She always held a napkin around the glass to catch the moisture. Then she insisted on making the gravy, which came out so thick a spoon could stand up in the concoction. Someone once wisecracked that Vi’s gravy eats like a meal

I can still picture my Grandpop at the table with that smile that told you he was up to something. There’s gruff Uncle Henry at the other end taking it all in and telling silly jokes. I see Dad quietly enjoying his meal – shoveling it in and savoring each morsel. Over there my brother and I are kids again, trying not to fight – trying not to open our full mouths to gross each other out when our parents aren’t looking. I see my kids at that same table at each stage of life…first as little babies in high chairs, then picky toddlers, bored teenagers and finally mature, wonderful adults. I don’t know where the time goes. I see their wonderful guys…Matt and Blake. Some years there were my cousin Pat and Ken and their kids Lindsay and Philip, and other years our friends Jane, Jamie and Jill joining us and adding to our precious memories.

My Aunt Vi

I carry on the tradition of the holidays preparing the food the same way my Mom did with her recipes and mine blended together. This year I will teach my daughter Kate how to make the meal, which I’m very excited about. I’ll be wishing Megan and Matt, who live in Florida, could be here with us. I’ll buy some egg nog and drink a toast to Aunt Vi and all the others, although I’ll make my gravy a little thinner. We’ll make turkey apples with an olive head and feathers of marshmellows, raisins and Cheerios. And after it’s done, we’ll cozy up together and watch “Christmas Vacation” to kick off the season.I thank God for the blessings of our family and friends – near and far – present and some now who have passed, and thank Him for the memories and traditions of a holiday that keeps love alive and everyone close in our hearts.

Wishing you and yours a very blessed, Happy Thanksgiving.