A Place for Thanksgiving II

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is a family time for us. When I think back over 42 years, I can remember only a couple of years when family didn’t surround us.  On Thanksgiving 1989, Caroline came to see us for the first time.  Thanksgiving is a very special day.

Caroline and Mom approximately a week
 following Thanksgiving 1989

When I stop to give thanks for the many blessings around me, I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.  If I were to pull out an imaginary scale to weigh the many blessings, I would have trouble knowing where to begin: Health? Family? Rett? Freedom? Cognition? Sensory perception? Possessions? Job?  The scale would be tipped toward abundance!

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and a time to imprint new memories on the mind.

As a young boy, I remember at least a couple of Thanksgivings spent at my Papaw and Granny Woliver’s house.  As an extended family, the Wolivers rarely convened, but occasionally we would gather at their small “shack” on their twenty-acre property in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.  My brother Kim (Adam was not yet born) and I remember playing with my first cousins:  Sharon, Freddie, Paula, Cathy, and Frankie.  On a crisp autumn day, we would run around the property exploring the barnyard, private cemetery, and pastures; but the place of most fun was a huge downed chestnut tree that had fallen during the 1940s due to a blight that ravaged the Tennessee woods.  We climbed all over the chestnut tree and in our imaginations it became a fort, a pirate ship, a fire engine, or a space ship.

As a teenager, Thanksgiving was spent at my Mother and Dad’s home where they would host a family gathering that often included: my brothers Kim and Adam, Papaw and Granny Woliver, and Aunt Billie and Uncle Bub.  My Dad was proud of a long dining table around which we all could sit and Mother would fill it with “good country cookin’”.  Following the meal, we boys would take our shotguns and head for the backfield and woods to see what we might find.

Now at Merry Mount we revel in hosting a family affair on Thanksgiving.

At the center of the Thanksgiving festivities is Rett’s meal that traditionally includes turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, and an assortment of pies.  But the must have is Rett’s cornbread dressing.

Another tradition is the Woliver “turkey shoot” contest.  Anyone who wants to participate may shoot a shotgun at a target (a photo of a turkey) to see who can get the most shotgun pellets within the boundaries of the target.

One may ask about Thanksgiving attire?  Hey, it takes place at Merry Mount, so one wears whatever one wishes.  But sometime during the early 1990s, the wearing of the “bird shirt” became a tradition.

Thanksgiving

Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice, 

An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice; 

An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they 

Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;

Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men, 

Buildin’ the old family circle again; 

Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer, 

Just for awhile at the end of the year.

Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door 

And under the old roof we gather once more 

Just as we did when the youngsters were small; 

Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all. 

Father’s a little bit older, but still 

Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will. 

Here we are back at the table again 

Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men. 

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer; 

Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there. 

Home from the east land an’ home from the west, 

Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best. 

Out of the sham of the cities afar 

We’ve come for a time to be just what we are. 

Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank, 

Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank. 

Give me the end of the year an’ its fun 

When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done; 

Bring all the wanderers home to the nest, 

Let me sit down with the ones I love best, 

Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song, 

See the old faces unblemished by wrong, 

See the old table with all of its chairs 

An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.

   -Edgar Guest

   I am especially thankful today for Adam, Dalene, and Sharon.  They have been caregivers in Knoxville for my parents.  To have a brother like Adam to trust is the greatest of blessings!

There is much to be thankful for at Merry Mount and we wish all who read this blog today a very Happy Thanksgiving!

CPW