Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving day is of uncertain origin, but its place in our family’s tradition is fixed.  We will observe it, but the different generations will observe it in different ways.

According to my memory, our Mennonite conference observed Thanksgiving Day as a day to congregate and be inspired by a program that extolled missions, instructed the faithful and sought to  inspire members  to serve in the mission of the church. Thanksgiving Day was, according to my recollection,  the usual day for the first snow of the season. Snow was on the ground on the Day in 2013. And as I recall, roast turkey was not a part of the our family celebration in those days.

However, Krady and Stoltzfus families have overriding traditions in which the man of the house is responsible for the turkey.  So Eldon was in his glory.

The turkey was roasted in Rachel and Eldon’s oven; Eldon carved the turkey in Dan and Ang’s kitchen.

Ang provided cherry and shoo-fly pies. The cherries were from a tree in Dan and Ang’s back yard.  I helped pit the cherries this past summer.  Other dishes came with various individuals:  a green-bean casserole, broccoli with cheese dressing, candied sweet potatoes grown in Rachel and Elden’s garden, dressin-fillin-stuffing named thus according to the number of times it reached the plate; mashed potatoes and gravy; cranberry relish, etc.

The children and youth proved by their behavior that each had matured a year since last Thanksgiving Day.

After dinner the men excused themselves to watch a football game which Ang explained was code for taking a nap.  The women and children, and the men as they revived,  engaged each other in pursuits of mutual interest.

The game that captured the attention of young and old was about “trains” and their destinations.  They vied for destinations in Europe, so everyone  learned a little geography. This intrigued “My Joy” because her life-long spouse pursued trains as a hobby.

A special challenge to us as a family is our little granddaughter named Jolee.  It seems that she wants to learn as fast as everyone else whom she observes.  She is fortunate to have the mother that she has, not failing to mention her dad and big sister who all love the special one in their family and offer her the encouragement she needs.  In this picture she is investigating her grandmother’s I-pad.

The littlest one learned all she could absorb from  the I-pad. The man with the camera had the joy of observing it all, and eating more than he should have.

Also, Diana, my oldest granddaughter, read to JoLee, my youngest great granddaughter.  This is family, yes!

My Joy and I watched the VHS of the train and then we got out the atlas, and I traced the trip I took on the troop train  from the Grottoes CPS Camp in Virginia  to the North Fork CPS Camp in California.

Next we went to the computer and called up pictures of Fence Meadow, Bald Mountain, and Mt Tom lookout fire towers where I had  worked in Civilian Public Service.

Today I found a picture of the Fence Meadow Tower in which I lived for approximately eight weeks.  I was a relief lookout who responded when the regular lookout needed to leave the tower because of his wife’s illness.

To see the tower as it is now  click on this link. In addition to looking for smoke I was an official weather observer and reported daily such  simple observations as wind direction and speed and dew point.  It looks to me that that service has been upgraded.

Thanksgiving Day, 2013, was a happy day.  It brought many memories for which I was thankful.