“Thanksgiving”
There are several holidays that come to mind when I think of wonderful times with family and friends. I don’t remember just what year it was, but Mom had planned a dinner for the whole family, in-laws and outlaws alike. The turkey was so large it barely even fit in the oven, with all the extra shelves removed. Mom and Dad also invited a visiting minister and his wife to dinner. They happened to be holding special services during the week and had nowhere to spend Thanksgiving.
The smell throughout the house was indescribably wonderful. Mom finally called everyone to dinner, and not a minute too soon as I was about to pass out from hunger. The table was beautifully set with that large bird at the head next to Dad. A ham and pineapple slices adorned the other end. Mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries and all the trimmings were scattered about the remainder of the table, with a tall glass of cherry punch with a scoop of lime sherbet at each place.
Dad asked the visiting minister to ask the blessing and he began. After asking God’s help for all the missionaries he personally supported, he moved on to the politicians. I knew this was going to be time consuming, and out of concern of passing out, I snuck a cracker to sustain consciousness. The minister then began giving thanks for each of the people at the table. That’s when Teddy, our large black lab, had heard enough and helped himself to the turkey. The thunderous crash surprised everyone, even the minister whom we heard say, “And don’t let the dog eat all the turkey.”
Dad and I both made a dash for the turkey which by now was sliding to the opposite wall. We salvaged what we could but a starving black lab can devour a lot of turkey in a short amount of time.
Dad and I took a chance on the remaining turkey; everyone else had ham that year for Thanksgiving. Oh yah, Teddy had turkey also.