OUR THANKSGIVING DAY

HAS IT BEEN A YEAR SINCE OUR LAST THANKSGIVING ALREADY? One day our Area President's wife asked a group of us if any of us were pie makers. The room went silent you know in that awkward pause, and no one was raising there hand or speaking up. I raised my hand and said I will. She slide over a can of pumpkin pie filling to make two pies. Before I could put my hand down, I had somehow signed up to bake 4. Mind you in America that would not be a big undertaking, but here I have no pie tins, and the filling for the other two pies I had no idea. Then it struck me that I didn't even have a rolling pin. My pie baking adventures began as I started to ask around, and before I knew it I had my pie plates, and finally a rolling pin that someone hadn't used as a hammer. You know that pies are somewhat akin to the Turkey, because you don't want to have them turn out bad. My oven decided to play thermostat war, and would jump to hot to warm and back up to hot again. At the end of the morning, I layed the pies on the counter and counted my blessings to have them. As we gathered this year, my mind briefly went to a year ago and the lump that formed in my throat. This year was a gathering of some of my finest and truest friends without a lump. Home is where you bring even your best offering of pies, and no one even says a word about the burnt edges. 

I HAVE TO SAY I DID THINK ABOUT MY TWO OVEN BACK IN MY HOME IN AMERICA.

NOW, OUR PLATES ARE WAITING TO BE FILLED AS OUR HEARTS ARE ALREADY. I LOOKED AT THIS PICTURE AND WONDERED WHERE MY TAG WAS. SOME DAYS YOU JUST WEAR IT IN SPIRIT, AND THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS!

WE WERE ABOUT 70 IN TOTAL, AND WE WERE KNEE TO KNEE AND HEART TO HEART!

BRING YOUR OWN PLATES AND UTENSILS, AND WE FOUND FOOD ON OUR PLATE THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE WE ARRIVED HERE. WHAT A FEAST OF FOOD AND FRIENDSHIP!