And it’s raining. 

My heart is full as I wash tablecloths and a plethora of dish towels and think about the 24 people who filled our house yesterday.

I smile as I remember Maria’s words when I commended them for it. “It’s what you do,” she said. 

My heart is full for sons and grandsons who traveled extra miles to ensure we could be together.

 My heart is full as I think about the two grandsons and a bonus daughter and husband who couldn’t be with here. (Some years your loved ones are only present in your heart.)

My heart is full as I remember the bountiful meal, a true team effort. Ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, turkey, dressing, gravy, lots of veggies, and fruit salads. (How many pounds of potatoes went into the mounds of creamy mashed potatoes Betsy brought?) 

My heart is full as I think about Terry extending both dining tables as long as they would go and creating a third table for six by topping a card table with a plywood circle, making a room for everyone.

My heart is full as I think about Maria chopping celery and onions for Grandma’s dressing, picking out pecans, and a host of other tasks.

My heart is full as I think of the army that helped clean up and return the house to normal afterwards.

My heart overflows as I consider the ones who moved on from our house to other places for yet another meal so parents, grandparents, siblings and cousins wouldn’t be disappointed.

My heart smiles as I think about Maria’s college roommate making her annual visit for Diet Coke & Chex Mix after everyone else has scattered. 

Yes, my heart is full today because I know the same thing was happening yesterday all across our nation as people gathered to give thanks for freedom, faith, abundance and the love of family and friends.

I decide in my heart that if on some future Thanksgiving Day I should find myself alone, I will warm myself with memories of that lovely, wonderful day.