This was my first Thanksgiving without my mother. That is, my first Thanksgiving without her presence here on earth.
Perhaps it was because she made dinner every single night for the seven people in our family, or perhaps she was just a natural at cooking. In any case, my mom was able to put a Thanksgiving meal together seamlessly. The turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, pies…all of it. And all at the same time. Delicious, to boot. My, she was a good cook.
I, on the other hand, do not seem able to juggle all the holiday meal prep. This year I did bake a pie, and I made cranberry sauce. My husband roasted the turkey. Otherwise, thank you Kowalski’s (our local grocery store), for providing the sides! Yes, I’m not too proud to say that I prepared our Thanksgiving feast by heating it up. It seems I inherited many of my mom’s traits, certainly her looks, but one thing I never caught on to was having everything baked, cooked, and mashed at the same time.
Here is what I was able to do, thanks to the lessons of my mom. I set a nice table with a white tablecloth and china and cloth napkins. John put leaves in the table so we could accommodate the seven people at our table (and to think my mom accommodated seven people every night – it boggles the mind). I put the heated side dishes in nice bowls, John said a lovely prayer, and we feasted. Just like we did when my mom was setting the table.
At the end of the meal, I asked my family for memories of Mom. We laughed at some of the many funny things she did, her quirky phrases. We marveled at her special gifts and talents. We remembered her.
It was a joy to sit with family members this Thanksgiving. It was a joy to know that I had learned a thing or two about hosting a celebration, although I must admit this meal didn’t quite match Mom’s feasts. Nothing could. It was a joy to remember the woman that touched so many of our lives and whom we will always love.
My mom lives on in our memories. In the talents we inherited, in the laughter she shared, in the gifts she gave us, in the lessons we learned.
We are thankful for her.
Jean Ann Hollenbeck Wegner
November 2, 1930 - August 10, 20221