My best Thanksgiving memory happened about 7 or 8 years ago. You see, its a tradition for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years dinners to be celebrated at my mom's house. Everyone brings a covered dish of some sort and we serve a buffet. And the house is usually filled with 30 to 50 people.
But this one year the head count was much higher. The house was already full and I heard the door bell ring. I didn't recognize the people at the door, but they had a covered plate so I wished them a happy Thanksgiving and let them in. A few minutes later I let some more unknowns in. That's when I began to notice that there were a bunch of people there that I didn't recognize. So I went in search for mom. I asked her who some of these people were. The look on her face was hilarious. She hadn't noticed all the strangers yet and was a bit confused.
We wandered around asking different family members if they knew all the new comers. No one seemed to know them at all. Finally I got nosey and started talking to them. What I found out was a shocker.
My papa had been to a nearby bar a few weeks before to watch a football game he and his friends were betting on. When papa's team won he started celebrating a bit too hard. Before the night was over he had invited everyone at the bar to come over for Thanksgiving, and to be sure to bring a covered dish. And they all did. Papa's memory on the subject was a bit fuzzy.
I turned out to be one of the biggest and best holidays we ever had. And everyone was invited back for Christmas. Of course by then we had a guest book for everyone to sign, with a special section that asked: "How did you find out about us?"
Zeline Wright
AKA Opossum Sally
This story recently won an honorable mention at WOSIB
Below is the award and a wonderful review. I'm proud of both.
"What a wonderful story, written so humorously, that I had to laugh out loud. I could imagine this happening in my family. The author is a first time entrant, and I hope she'll continue to share her talents with us. (Comments by Carol)"
The custom of saying "Bless you" when someone sneezes was first used by ancients when they believed that breath was the essence of life, and when you sneeze a part of you life is escaping. Evil spirits rush into your body and occupy the empty space. By saying "God bless you" the speaker is protecting the sneezer from that spirit.
