My mother’s birthday is today - November 22. She died in February of this year and didn’t reach the age of 83.
Her birthday always seemed to land on or the day before thanksgiving, but we would celebrate her birthday separately. Maybe because it was always on or around her birthday she placed extra emphasis on making thanksgiving so beautiful, so proper, so amazing.
As a young girl I watched my mother make her dressing and stuff the turkey every year. After I went away to college, met my husband and started my family, I knew her recipe for dressing in the depths of my soul, but I still loved to call her the night before the holiday and I’d recite her recipe because I always needed her validation; and I wanted her to know that I was making her dressing, her sweet potato pies (actually my grandmothers recipe) and her cornbread and collard greens (she made her greens with smoked turkey necks and always recommended one jalapeño, whole, in the pot). I've never strayed from her recipes, I'm proud to add.
When you walked in her house, the aroma was love, warmth and sunshine all rolled into one. You wanted to peek under those cake and pie covers and taste everything.When we were children she always served dinner on her china, and then washed every piece by hand after dinner. Then she'd put the china dishes back up in her china cabinet, ready for Thanksgiving for the next year.
Every dessert she made was from scratch: Lemon pie, egg custard pie, German chocolate cake, coconut cake, lemon jello cake, pound cake, pecan pie. She would cook for days before the holiday - I can’t even remember how she made room for all of the food - but there were so many delectable dishes our table settings barely had room.
Her table was always so elegantly set; she passed this along to me and I’m so glad my daughters love a beautiful table setting. It’s funny how there are so many things you take for granted early in life that you long for after you can no longer have them. I wish I could have thanksgiving with my mother one more time. I miss her so much it’s hard to breathe. Happy heavenly birthday Mama. I hope you are having a wonderful feast with grandmama, papa, Aunt Doshie, your brothers and cousins and your bestie Gwen Halley.
