As We Ready Ourselves for our 2009 Turkey Dance.

Yearly, my Thanksgiving meditation is of my mother-in-law(God rest her soul). What a faithful woman she was and what an entrance into heaven there must have been for such a woman who sacrificed her entire life and poured it into her children.
I remember turkeys from my own mother, whose delicious turkeys were often the story of the year.
I was right next to my mother when she was burned, horribly by the turkey, while basting it. I do try to forget that horrific moment. Mother survived, Thank God. But, this year, I am remembering my mother-in-law and the turkey dance.
One of the last Thanksgivings, she took me to her side in the kitchen and handed me one leg of the Turkey. Here Jayne, Do this! she said. What? The Turkey was a frozen ball and she had a stick of butter and seasonings, mostly paprika and she was intending to massage these seasonings into the turkey. What a wrestling match, we had. She had one leg and I had the other and the Turkey which had been used to sitting in that closed position didn't like us pulling at it like we did. Her hands and my hands were full of butter and when we were done I couldn't see the difference between my hands and the turkey. It was red and I think my whole body was full of paprika? It is the one memory of my mother-in-law that I try to pass along every Thanksgiving. The joy of the love of sharing a meal with loved ones. The dirtying of the hands and the kitchen to grant a loving request of the people that you love. Wrestling with the elements of the turkey to wring out of it a delicious meal. I do love the day. Today, it is me and my Elyse wrestling with the Turkey.
The fog is as thick as peanut butter, outside; our hearts are warmed inside by the anticipation of loving Thanksgiving. We do hope your Thanksgiving is happy and safe.