Our Thanksgiving Traditions

Over the last 5 years our Thanksgiving traditions have changed drastically.

Growing up as a child my Mom’s side of the family would all gather in my grandparents house that I now currently live in. Well this house was built in the 1890’s best we can figure. It is not a big house at all. So when we had oh about 10 to 15 or more adults and about 10 kids all here when we were little it was great. All us kids would pack around card tables in the living room adults in the dining room.

Well as we all grew up, the kids that is. For some reason the living room shrank. We no longer could fit at the tables with chairs and we expanded from that to a few tables and sitting on the actual furniture. From then it went to adding more to our family. This resulted to one year that my dad, my sis, a few others, and I ate our meals on the porch. Now think about this, end of November in Northern Michigan, generally means that white crap is falling from the sky. Needless to say we ate our meals that year really really fast.

Then things changed. Changed drastically. That following turn of the year my grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer. Then it turned into brain cancer and was given 6 months. Well if you knew my grandpa he was rather stubborn. He looked at that doctor and told him “NO I will see my first great grandson born.” Now my sis had just found out she was expecting. Absolutely no way she knew what she was having yet but grandpa was adamant it was going to be a boy. So 6 months went by and in fact my sis had my first nephew in September, Labor Day in fact. We then had a very small Thanksgiving that year. Just gpa, gma, my parents, sisters, our significant others, and of course the baby! It wasn’t until the following July that my grandfather passed.

So that following year again it was just us. Plus it was also the last year my gma would be the one cooking. I so miss her cooking. Anything you wanted she would instantly whip it up. Or send you to the store so you could get the ingredients and then would make it with you. I so miss her hot sauce, doughnuts, sugar and molasses cookies, pies, oh so many things to list. I’d have to say we were spoiled rotten with her as a gma.

That next year my gma was real sick. Barely made it home in time for Thanksgiving which now inevitably ended up at my sisters house. When you have a big house guess who gets nominated. Sorry sis. All in all she did an awesome job cooking and gma was there and so proud of her.

Then last year was a very rough one. Gma had passed in February to cancer as well. So when the holidays came it was a major blow. We got through it together. It was rough and some of us dealt with it better than others, but we were there for each other. It wasn’t until this summer that we have finally laid her ashes to rest with gpa. I’m sure this holiday will be rough at times, however I’m sure we will make it.

Now that our family is growing it’s time to carry on old and make new traditions. We still get together at sis’s house. She does most of the cooking, with help from gma above I know it. Since my first nephew she has had two more. Plus we have the girls. So eventually our family will grow huge again, with many stories and traditions to carry on as well. The nice thing is her house will hold a lot more.

The ironic thing is that I’m sitting here writing this post just about to finish and send it off for you to see and listening to the radio and what do I hear. My mother’s voice. Requesting to hear the song If Heaven by Andy Griggs in remembrance of my grandparents. Talk about mysterious timing. Things like that are how I know they are watching over us. So as I wipe away a tear from my eye, gather myself, it’s time to round the girls and head to eat the glorious feast my sis has prepared.

I wish all of you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving. Cherish your family, friends, time, and traditions. You never know when things will change. Happy Thanksgiving!!!