*urp*

There was, of course, the bird. In fact, there was a bird and a half. There also was, naturally, cranberry sauce.
(Side note - while the awesome boyfriend and I tried several different "reform the can shape" ideas, we settled on the familiar "rounds" that were cut and put on platters ... ala a Tomato Salad. It was largely ignored because ... well ... there was a LOT to choose from so just keep reading.)

There was stuffing. There was ("was" or "were"? .... hmmmm) mashed potatoes.
(Another side note - I can actually picture the awesome boyfriend reading this while muttering "it wasn't just 'stuffing' - it was 'sausage, mushroom, bacon, cornbread stuffing with cranberries, apples, and toasted pecans'." I hope he'll forgive me for the generalizations in the names of the dishes.)

There was salad. There were cornbread rolls. There was soup. There was a corn casserole. There was a green bean casserole. There was sauerkraut and sausage. There were stewed tomatoes. There were sweet potatoes. There was gravy. There was cheesecake. There were apple pies.
(Plural. As in "more than one".)

There were ice creams.
(Plural. As in "more than one" and "made from scratch".)

There was chocolate trifle and there was pumpkin pie.
(There was not a pecan pie - but perhaps we'll talk about that another day.)

There was family. Multiple generations and in-laws and cousins and parents and each individual person at that table brought more to the feast by just sitting down at the table. There were photos shared and stories retold. There was laughter and thanks was given for just having the opportunity to be be seated there.

And to be included at that table? To be allowed to assist in making that memory occur? I am really and truly blessed.

I am thankful ... and I give thanks.