Thankful Thursday for Thanksgiving's Passed

I was thinking back about some Thanksgiving's passed. We've always had the TRADITIONAL Thanksgivings. All the family gathering, the excitement of the yummy food. Growing up one of my best memories-- this is an odd one, WILD BLACKBERRY JAM. Mom would always ration our wild blackberry Jam from Washington State where my Grandparents lived. Thanksgiving meant that was the very last jar. When I think of traditional 'food' We can't forget Grandma (great) Mills 'RAISIN' pie! One year Clark told her that he loved her raisin pie. So every year after that Grandma would make a raisin pie (1 for dessert and 1just for Clark) and we would always have TWO to take home. Yes Clark is the only one that ate it! Those were special times when the family would always get together. Now those day's are missed. The shocker to us all is when we weren't able to have the Traditional Thanksgivings with all the family and relatives surrounding us forever. The first time we experieced change was when my Dad was in Surgery on Thanksgiving Day. I don't know what the kids experienced that year. But our Thanksgiving meal consisted of take-out from Shoney's and we ate it in the court yard at the Provo Hospital. That was the beginning of different traditions. One year I was a scrooge because it was the opposite year for Thanksgiving and my parents were no longer alive. I wanted to pretend it was just another day. So we went on the Mountain deer hunting and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After that experience we discovered the importance of the Traditional Thanksgiving. So that began (on the opposite year) that I cooked my very first Thanksgiving Dinner for just our immediate family. The year that Tyrel was on his mission and Terrence and Laura we're married and living in Colorado. Elyse, Clark and I and Uncle Bob and Aunt Lorraine and Mike. Went to Lake Powell. It was one of my favorite memories! Dinner was still Traditional Turkey with the trimmings. But it was such beautiful weather that Mike water skied. Elyse didn't like the idea of breaking tradition so she rebelled a bit! When we lived in Louisiana, Clark participated in our Wards- Thanksgiving for the poor, and lonely. Our ward there made dinner for over 200 people and delivered it on Thanksgiving Day. What an awesome memory. He has memories of the people grabbing the plates and eating it so fast like they hadn't had a meal. That was the year Gramps and Jason came for Thanksgiving. I made a pie for each person!!! I often think how many others have not had the blessing of CELEBRATING Thanksgiving. For those in the service that are away from their families or those that are in Hospitals with a loved one. For those that are homeless. We are so blessed and although Thanksgivings are different each year. We so appreciate the BOUNTY that surrounds us. For the people that are in our lives and the BLESSINGS that God has given us. This year we are going to be away from family. Everyone has a place to go. We are having 2 families come over along with the missionaries. We are excited to build another MEMORY. Life changes and although we miss the good ol' memories of Thanksgiving's passed we are so blessed to have those MEMORIES.