Present at Our Table

Jill, Mom, Jennifer and Katie.
Is the service satisfactory, Mrs. R.?

Jill brought Mom. Mom brought an appetite.
She ate Kathleen's turkey and dressing with ample whipped potatoes and homemade gravy and rolls, of course, skipping the cole slaw with Rudolph's dressing. She downed Missy's green bean casserole. Earlier she had sampled Jennifer's walnut/pecan pate on crackers and fresh tangerine slices, later at table she enjoyed her apple-trimmed kabocha squash, local steamed carrots and cranberries ala Greg. So did Mom have any room for dessert?
You bet.

Mom passed on Hai's pumpkin pie, opting for a large, refreshing slice of his Lemon Meringue.

Great grandma inspected the new tooth.
Emily admired the new glasses.

Mom used to bake rye bread for her family. Today Jennifer brought a half-baked loaf of raisin rye, finishing it after the turkey had been extracted from the oven and set aside to rest before carving. Did Grandma Bev ever put raisins in her rye? She thought back for a moment. "Oh yes, sometimes I did." Only then did Stan remember that this was so.
It was a joyful, memorable day at our bustling house, Mom's first Thanksgiving in a private home in many years. We're grateful for our many blessings, and said so. Mom's lead aide, Jill, graciously drove her 92-year-old charge from Mom's new place in Bloomington to her first ever visit to Stan and Kathleen's Shakopee location. Three willing guests eagerly boosted her chair up the front steps and inside a festive dining room, where she quickly became the center of attention.
Before dinner, we not only said a traditional grace, but then Mom led us in a gentle verse of "Be Present at Our Table Lord" in perfect pitch, as always, just like old times.
Our thanks to Jill for a smooth operation. The only lumps today were in our throats.

From left, Dan, Hai, Jennifer, Melissa, Emily, Kathleen, Jill, Beverly, Stan
18 pound turkey, nine for dinner. Leftovers for all.