But Thanksgiving is over, and they headed home this morning. All the rest of our children and grandchildren are back to their normal routines.
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 think about those who were with us in spirit while they dined in heavenly places.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.
Yes, my heart is full today.
And I hope yours is, too.
2Cor. 9:11
Copyright © Reflections from Dorothy’s Ridge 2015. All rights reserved
Great memories to fill your heart forever! Love this, Dorothy!
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Thank you, Cindy. I hope your day was wonderful, too.
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I love this. My heart is full too.
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Thank you. I could tell from your Facebook video that y'all were having fun. We are blessed.
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My heart is full, too. A week of grandparents here to keep grandkids all kinds of company, lots of food, and a week off school for my boys. Despite the rain, we're fine, and full of many board game/football game memories.
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Thanks for sharing the warm embers of Thanksgiving memories! There is a peaceful joy of reflecting on good family times.
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Sounds like a wonderful Thanksgiving. As a grandparent, I can tell you it meant a lot to yours. Thanks for dropping by.
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Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Peaceful joy is exactly right!
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Thanks for sharing that beautiful heart of yours! Hoping for a little sunshine today in the Arkansas river valley.
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Our blogs had the same sentiments, just in different words. I love the way you preceded each “thanks” with a heart. Yes, we are blessed. xoxo
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Thank you for reading and commenting! Sunshine today, for sure.
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I thought the same thing when I read yours, Pat. I guess mothers everywhere cherish time with their grown children. Love you.
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