Our daughter Polly flew in from Las Vegas yesterday, and later this afternoon we’re going over to our friend Dee’s home for Thanksgiving dinner. We don’t have to cook, and for that I’m sort of thankful. Sort of, because we’d originally planned to cook Thanksgiving dinner at home, and now I’m at loose ends with nothing to do. Dee doesn’t want us to bring anything or help with the cooking. Relax and enjoy the day, she says.
Bless her for that. We’ll do our honest best to enjoy the fruits of her labors. But I’ve always looked upon Thanksgiving dinner as a communal effort, with everyone chipping in. As it was in the beginning:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” — Edward Winslow, A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
I’m feeling a certain amount of Puritan guilt over the prospect of receiving another’s bounty while giving nothing in return. To assuage that guilt, I’m going to brine the turkey breast that was to have been our Thanksgiving dinner. That way I’ll have at least done something and can relax at Dee’s with a less-troubled conscience. The down side is that once brined the turkey must be cooked, so I’ll be busy at the smoker all day tomorrow, and we’ll have Thanksgiving turkey two days in a row.
So here I am planning multiple Thanksgiving feasts, while so many families here and around the world have little to be thankful for, and I’m bitching about it — however lightly, however tongue in cheek — well, shame on me.
I will relax. I will enjoy the day. I will give thanks. And I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving too.