Let's Talk with Nancy J. Cohen

Thanksgiving
by Nancy J. Cohen

Happy Thanksgiving! Since we are being thankful today, let me express our gratitude to all of our Booklovers Bench followers for your support throughout the year. It’s your feedback and encouragement that makes our work as writers worthwhile.

This holiday is especially meaningful to me because I was born on Thanksgiving Day. My mother used to tell me how she got a baby on a platter instead of a turkey. For this reason, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I love the fall decorations and the food. We enjoy a bountiful feast of roast turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and a broccoli cheese dish. We forego the stuffing since our kids never liked it, although my mother made a tasty variety using crushed Ritz crackers. I am not fond of green beans, so we choose another vegetable. And I might add a butternut squash soup for a starter course. For a smaller crowd, I’ll roast a turkey breast instead of the whole bird. Either way, I use the carcass to make turkey soup. My mouth is watering at the imagined aromas.

Men like to watch football, if I recall, while the women slave in the kitchen. But it’s a labor of love to have family and friends over for dinner. Holiday movies have started playing on TV and in the theatres, and soon the most frenzied shopping day of the year will arrive. It can be an exciting time or a sad one, depending on your situation. But regardless of how you view the holiday, it should be a time to remember all the things we still have to be thankful for. Can you walk? Can you talk? Can you take a fresh breath of air and go about your business in freedom? Being grateful is the meaning of the holiday, aside from our happy memories of family and food.

Do you have a special Thanksgiving story to share?