A Blue State of Mind

"The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams." Oprah

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Location: The Western U.S, United States

I spent 48 years caring about what people thought of me. I'm not spending the rest of my life caring about that anymore!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Following The Tide


It used to be, every year at Thanksgiving we would all gather at our small, three bedroom home and eat dinner. Momma, one of the best cooks in the West would work day and night preparing sweet potato and apple pies, turkey and dressing, green beans w/potatoes, greens and cornbread, fruit punch and of course...jellied cranberry sauce.

As we grew older Mom gave us more duties to help out with the dinner preparation. My sister helped with the baking and cooking, I helped with the vegetable chopping, floor mopping and dish washing. Mom took great pride in her Thanksgiving dinner and training a new cook and increasing the risk of a dish turning out wrong was not going to happen. As she says, "Now is not the time to ride a new horse."

We'd pile around the table, Daddy would say Grace and we'd each say our Verse. Mine was "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Each of the children said a verse and the feasting began!

As the years swept by the dinner companions changed like the tide; it would swell and recede in that some years there would be so many folks we would have to eat on the porch, the other years it would just be four or five of us. And like the tide it was constant.

Early one chilly November morning, two days before Thanksgiving, my father died. My family swelled into town and filled our home. It was one of the largest Thanksgiving gatherings I had ever attended and except for missing my father, one of the happiest! What we didn't know then was that as we buried Daddy, the Thanksgiving tradition was buried in the same grave.

The very next Thanksgiving we went to my sister-in-law's home and Mom again worked magic by creating spectacular mouth-watering dishes. And while I worried that I wouldn't have a good time because the meal would not be at our small cramped home as it had since my birth, I just accepted it. After all, I still had my family, the food was still cooked by my mother and we all said our Verses.

This year we spent Thanksgiving surrounded by my baby brother's girlfriend's family at her gorgeous home in Peoria, AZ. The food was delicious, they allowed me to eat and watch the game in the den, and it was a pleasant time. I miss my father and my nieces in Vegas. I miss my sister who chose to have dinner with her friends. I miss my older brother and his children but I know this is just another flow of life's tide and although it's small, one day it will swell and be full again.
Photo courtesy astrocruzan

7 Comments:

Blogger Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

yes honey, one day it will. this year it was just sarge and i. i certainly understand what you are saying. happy thanksgiving debo!

smiles, bee

November 22, 2007 7:31 PM  
Blogger Jeni said...

Debo - I worry when you don't post that often any more, miss your good words ya know. But then when you do put a piece up here, the message you have comes through so loud and clear - makes it worth the wait (just don't like the worry in between ya see.)
Thanksgiving here was small by many standards but there were no complaints on the food so that's a bonus. And it's always good to be with family -large or small -whenever possible anyway, is it not?
I'm glad you and at least some of your loved ones were able to be together to give thanks for food and family -and that you got to see your football game too in the process!
Now don't be a stranger for long periods like that -please? I look forward to your words as they are always well written, to the point and it's obvious, you write them from a very loving heart.
Thanks for being here and part of my life in cyberspace, my friend!

November 23, 2007 12:02 AM  
Blogger Kiyotoe said...

I definitely know the feeling. Let's just say I grew up celebrating Thanksgiving in a house full of people.

This year it was just me and lil' brother. Takes getting used to.

But at least you got to see your 'Boys put a whuppin' on the Jets.

November 23, 2007 12:55 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hay Miss Debo. Glad to have you back among us. I dun thought you had run off with a feller with a sack full of flour and a gallon of motor oil. LOL

I miss the family gatherings of my youth at home too. Everyone would come. Aunts, uncles, cousins my grandmother and it would be a grand time. I know I will never see those days again but nowadays, it's nice to surround ourselves with anyone who needs a happy day that we can provide. I had not thought of Life's tide as a metaphor for this, but that line touched my heart along with the whole post.

You are a special person, I am glad to have met your blog.

Later Y'all.

November 23, 2007 5:04 AM  
Blogger Dave said...

Did you say your verse?

November 23, 2007 7:00 AM  
Blogger Jeni said...

Debo - just wanted to let you know to check the comments on my post "Thanks, Bob" -my tribute to Bob Johnson. Today, there is an anonymous comment there - made by Bob's sister - and she gave her website addy for anyone to read the tribute she did for him too. She was concerned about letting you, Ryan and me know about his passing, in particular. Jeni

November 23, 2007 1:35 PM  
Blogger Debo Blue said...

Empress-your pictures of the world cruise are still captivating.

Jeni-sorry for the absence but thanks for reminding me of my duty and for telling me about our friend Bob. I'll be over to see his sister's site.

Lil bro-it does take getting used to smaller gatherings, doesn't it? Hope yours was peaceful and full of love anyway:-)

Melon-you'll know when I find him because there will be a shortage of oil and flour! You're too much;-)

Dave-I did indeed say my Verse. After all, I didn't know if that girl could cook (LOL).

November 24, 2007 9:16 PM  

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