Monday, November 22, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Erin said...
What was Thanksgiving like in your family growing up? What traditions will you be making/using in your Thanksgiving this year?


Growing up, Thanksgiving was a decent holiday. :) My dad and my brothers would usually go hunting at some point in the fall and try to get us a turkey or elk (or both). We also always had turkey in the freezer as it was sort of the go-to-freezer meat of Quiverfull families (and still is to this day). You can buy them extremely cheap right after major holidays and we did. In any case, we girls would spend the two days leading up to Thanksgiving rolling out pie dough, getting roll dough ready, and generally destroying the kitchen with our preparations. Even though it was a lot of work, it was some of the best times I've spent with my mom and sisters. Even the little girls were put to work opening cans of ingredients or measuring stuff for us to cook. My mom made a great stuffing that I miss even now. I'm going to try to recreate it this year for Harris' family. After we ate, we cleaned up while the men gathered to listen to a sermon on tape. Then they'd go out and play on the quads or do whatever it is guys do outside. Other than the big dinner, it was a normal day, but it was the one day my dad would say, just to us, that he was thankful for us. Normally, we were his public blessing and what felt like his private burden. But on Thanksgiving he managed to sound sincere in private.

Thanksgiving, more than Christmas, was a happy holiday in my house because it wasn't a political thing. Christmas always became a quest for my father to show the world how much holier we were by not losing site of the "Christ" in Christmas. That whole deal trumped our excitement and happiness. I'll write more about that after Thanksgiving because to be frank, I don't want to be bummed out right before what could be a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Last year, I felt alone and melancholy. This year, I'm really excited about going to see Harris' family and being part of ANY family again.

15 comments:

  1. Good luck at Harris's family thanksgiving! I hope it's as great as you expect.

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  2. Hope it's awesome, Ruth, full of warm fuzzies and laught.

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  3. I am so glad that things are looking up for you this year. I am sure you will have a blast with Harris's family this year!

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  4. Have a great holiday, Ruth. Let us know how the dressing/stuffing turns out.

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  5. Hope it's a wonderful time for you...

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  6. Ruth--I hope you have a wonderful time full of family fun and free of family drama. You will be in my thoughts. What are the ingredients to the stuffing? Maybe we can help you reconstruct the recipe.

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  7. Happy Thanksgiving, Ruth! I hope you have a wonderful time.

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  8. It sounds nice, but it sounds like you didn't get to play any games and stuff after Thanksgiving. I like playing games after the meal.

    Also did you ever have other relatives (like grandparents) or friends over as well?

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  9. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Ruth. I'm thankful that you got out, and that you're sharing your story. Your strength inspires me!

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  10. Ruth, I hope you have a wonderful time with Harris' family. If they are like mine, we eat around the football games and then snack through the last one.

    Enjoy the fun!

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  11. Happy Thanksgiving Ruth! :)

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  12. We had ours already last month, so it's just another day for us up here in Canada. :o) I hope you have(had?) a good one, though, Ruth!

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  13. Have a wonderful and RELAXING time, Ruth. You deserve it! :-)

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  14. Ruth, what a lovely post. And as usual, it is bittersweet. I'm glad that you can appreciate what you remember from your Dad and his thanks to you all once a year.

    And more than that, I am glad that you can take that memory for what it was, in the scope of your father's belief system. And am thankful that you always knew, and know now better than ever, that you are of value each day of the year.

    May you have a wonderful time with Harris' family over Thanksgiving!

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  15. I know I'm thinking of this a bit late for Thanksgiving but I'm wondering if your brother could get your mom's stuffing recipe for you. I know how frustrating it is to not have favorite recipes...I miss my late grandma's dandalion greens/bacon/??? salad with dressing and unfortunately no one else seems to know exactly how she made it. Something like family recipes shouldn't be lost just because your father has issues.

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