Happy Thanksgiving or, I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving

 

As I write this I'm getting ready for the big dinner.  I've already made the turkey soup, always a highlight and my family's favorite part of the meal so when I bought my turkey I got extra thighs, roasted them, and started the stock for the soup on Monday. Also, we cut up the bird and cooked the wings, neck and back to make more stock for the stuffing and gravy.  Later today we'll roast the legs and breast separately.  It has made our apartment and also the hallway smell great. I hope the neighbors appreciate it.

Do you ever have a chance encounter that really makes your day? I had one last week, as I walked down Broadway at 168th Street to see the eye doctor.  A man sitting on the wall said to me,

"Hey, Mama, you got something for me?"  I smiled and said, "Sorry."  And he said,

"Well, you look gorgeous!"  

That certainly put a spring in my step so after my check-up, which was good news, I found a dollar in my pocket and decided that if the guy was still there I'd give it to him.  And he was there; he thanked me for the dollar and said, 

"Can I have a hug?"

"Uh, no. But we can be friends."

"Well, you still look beautiful!"

When I told Arthur the story he said, "Who says a dollar doesn't go far these days?"

In another memorable moment on the street, as I walked down Eighth Avenue with Arthur he said,

"Did you hear that?  that guy just said on his phone, 

'I'm a good husband but I'm not a miracle worker.'" I'm still wondering what was going on in that marriage.

You're reading this on Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is always a good one, with leftovers and memories and not much going on, a quiet day to plan for the busy days ahead. I remember when the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was an eternity and now I know it's no time at all.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember my brother, Larry, born on November 27.  That year my grandmother said to Mom, "I'll be in charge of the baby so you'll be free to do everything else."  It sounded like a thoughtful offer but now that I've had kids myself I know that Mom would  have liked to sit with the baby and let someone else cook.   It's a reminder to really think about the kindness you're offering.

When Larry came, my third little brother, I had been yearning for a baby sister but when I saw what my friend Susie Davis put up with from her little sister I decided brothers weren't all that bad.  So I'm grateful for the time we had with Larry and for my two handsome brothers, Alan and Rob. And for two lovely sisters-in-law, Donna and Kathleen, a collection of three nieces and three nephews and three greats--Maya, Arya and Arlo.

There's always something to be grateful for.