I sat next to mom Walker on the Turkey ritual, once in my life and it will stay with me. Mom had intentions for that turkey and the turkey was going to come into obedience to her commands. She had good taste in her hands and she was going to pull it out of that turkey.
The turkey sat on the table still stiff from the cold and the thawing process. The muscles of the turkey were tight and immovable at first glance and I had the philosophy that the less we touch the thing the better. I really don't and didn't like the feeling of cold bird in my hands it is yucky. Even after the cleaning process, I prefer to season and cook. Mom showed me that it is a relationship you are forging and she with me and us with the bird. Mom said take some of the butter and put it on the bird, "yuck!" Definitely not one of my favorite things to feel, at that time. She had seasonings including paprika and seasoned salt and various other things and we were going to put them into the turkey and not by osmosis. I didn't know that she was seasoning me for her son also.
We took the turkey that day and rubbed and rubbed and touched it in places I had no intentions of putting butter. Mom, you put butter there too? She said not a word to me except, rub the turkey. When she was finished with that turkey it was a different bird, relaxed, not beligerant, not frozen and most definitely seasoned. I saw seasoned as sprinklings of different items on a "bird". She changed my perspective and showed me that she was "pulling" good taste out of that bird. It was a bird and now it was a meal and I could've tasted it before we put it into the oven, Yuck!
When it was done, it was fabulous and the spiritual lesson of love and comradery follows me this 18 Thanksgivings later. I love that my mother in law loved her family enough to share her secrets of love and seasoning with me and I do miss her, too.
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