Yesterday I made two batches of yeast rolls…crescent shaped….for the Thanksgiving festivities. I use the recipe that my Mom used for years, taking over the roll production responsibilities in 2000. I think she was just tired of doing it, and so passed it on to me. The recipe is the last page in the “cookbook” that family put together for my niece when she got married. It is a treasure-trove of family recipes…our side of the family, and the groom’s, and the cookbook I refer to most often. The notations on the binder, beside the recipe page, indicate that I have made this roll recipe 23 times in the last 11 years. That’s about right….Thanksgiving and Christmas. And then there was the time I made a batch and sent half to my nephew who had moved to California and wasn’t home for the holidays. Sadly, the mailman left his package on the WRONG doorstep in his apartment complex, and when the occupant arrived home from vacation, returned the box to the post office, who returned them to me as “undeliverable.” They were moldy and ugly. Ty finally moved back home, and greatly enjoys the annual food fest.
I don’t often think of my Mom…our relationship was kind of a mixed bag…but I can’t make a batch of these rolls and NOT think of her. She had such joy in cooking and baking for her family, and the holidays were always joy-filled events for all of us. Her wonderful, wacky sense of humor was passed on to all of us, and our family times together are such fun!
So at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I do remember my Mom. The wonderful food she created, the fun she instigated, singing carols as she played the piano. The costumes she whipped up for the church Christmas pageant. Buying food for food baskets for those less fortunate. The tom and jerry’s at my parent’s annual Christmas party, and how we’d get to drink the batter with hot water only. Letting us decorate our bedroom with a real tree, and how she’d sit patiently while we five kids performed the Christmas story over and over and over again.
We all have a heart full of memories, and while we give thanks at Thanksgiving, and thank and praise God for his Gift at Christmas, I’m also glad the holidays give us lots of chances to remember those who aren’t with us, and the delight they brought to our lives.
The best memories I have of my mother are the ones that hit me unexpectedly. I’ll see a colour or perhaps hear a song or just be walking along when she will pop into my mind.
She was a special lady and I’m sure I didn’t tell her that enough when she was alive.
That is exactly right, Elizabeth….it happens just that way. And I’m betting your mother knew how special she was to you.