For moms who drive carpools

and moms who coach teams.

For moms who believe in

and nurture young dreams.

For moms of adults,

and mommies with tots.

For stay-at-home mothers

and those who do not.

For moms who can’t rest

with new babies at home.

And those sleep deprived

on nights teenagers roam.

For moms who are strict

and to those known for lenience.

For moms who cook daily

or choose drive-through convenience.

For moms who choose kids,

and those babies are born to.

For step-moms, grandmothers

and all others who come through….

with promises kept for

a lifelong commitment

to open your heart

and keep kids safe within it.

Thanks for meatloaf and gravy

and poppy seed cake.

Thanks for beans…red and navy

and biscuits that flake.

Thanks for grits and polenta

and soups left to simmer.

Thanks for family occasions…

cousins invited to dinner.

Thanks for blueberry pancakes

and strawberry pie.

Thanks for turkey and dressing,

loaves flavored with rye.

Thanks for collard greens

cooked

with a small dash of bacon.

Thanks for chicken soup, orange juice

and broths to sooth aching.

Thanks for corn on the cob

and red peppers, roasted.

Huckleberries, persimmons

and marshmallows, toasted.

brisket

velvet cakes colored red.

Thanks for bagels, injera

and other great bread.

Thanks for couscous and sushi

and sweetened ice teas.

Thanks for tacos, tamales

and pasta with peas.

Thanks for burgers with mustard

and baked macaroni,

Thanks for salsa and ketchup

and thick minestrone.

Thanks for chocolate chip

cookies

and blackberry jam.

Thanks for Boston Cream Pie

and Boone County ham.

Thanks for strawberry

smoothies,

grape juice and punch.

Thanks for butterscotch sundaes

and grilled cheese for lunch.

Thanks for chicken pot pie

and fried green tomatoes.

Thanks for Kosher dill pickles

and mashed Irish potatoes.

Thanks for stir fries and French fries

and onion rings, too.

Thanks for tandoori chicken,

poi and venison stew.

Thanks for waking up early

to bake cinnamon rolls

Thanks for slice-and-bake cookies

and s’mores over coals.

Thanks for big feasts for dozens

and snacks all alone.

Thanks for seasoning my life

with the flavors of home.

“Everything Must Change…Nothing Stays the Same”

“Battle Cousins Thanksgiving Picture with Grandfather”

Each Thanksgiving our family traveled from all corners of the Globe to gather around my parent’s Thanksgiving table.  This changed the Thanksgiving following my mother’s Memorial Service in March, 2003.

That Thanksgiving, when no one could face the same table without her, we did what families do when faced with the unimaginable…we did the best we could.

For us, it meant a holiday geographic shift.

My sister, Carolyn (the attorney who once bragged about being allergic to kitchens) now hosts a Chicago dinner and  even admits to enjoying all the planning, shopping, decorating and cooking required to pull off our new family Thankgiving tradition.

Aunt Carolyn’s Macaroni and Cheese

Chicago Cornbread Dressing with Chorizo

Collard, Turnip, Mustard “Soul2Keep” Greens

Stay Tuned for More Recipes and Entertaining Tips:

Until then, enjoy this photographs reflecting a generation of first cousins and siblings enjoying our new Thanksgiving tradition at Aunt Carolyn’s house.