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Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
November 28, 2002

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A Publication of The Handmade Toiletries Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 3, Issue 48
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"If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is 'Thank You,' that would suffice."
~ Meister Eckhart

When I was a young girl, my family gathered for Thanksgiving at my Aunt Hessie's red brick row house on Division Avenue in southeast Washington. We spent the evening eating, and then alternately dozing and watching football games until my father remembered that all good things must end, especially since he had to go to work the next day.

Aunt Hessie's dining room table was always spread from corner to corner with so much food, there was barely room for salt and pepper shakers. The obligatory turkey with moist dressing and a rich, thick gravy served as the centerpiece for a variety of side dishes like string beans, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, pickled watermelon and cranberry sauce ... oh! and a honey and clove encrusted ham. And our Thanksgiving was never complete without my aunt's signature dish: a huge casserole dish piled high with Crab Imperial made with lumps of crab meat the size of my thumb, seasoned to perfection with Old Bay and other spices, and topped with a crumbled bread and butter crust that melted in my mouth.

What bounty we had at our table each Thanksgiving!! But now that I think of it, while we didn't eat that much at every meal, we never lacked for bounty. Whether it was chicken and biscuits or beans and franks, I don't remember a day in my life when there was not enough food to go around. The same is true for many Americans, which is why perhaps Thanksgiving has lost some of its original significance. In leaner less industrialized times, families could not buy most foods in grocery stores, so enjoying such an incredible feast must have carried much more meaning. After all, one could be much more appreciative of turkey with all the trimmings if the person enjoying it in the seat next to you planted and picked the string beans himself or churned the butter for your dinner rolls with her own hands.

Today, bounty is something that surrounds us in America. In fact, there is so much bounty that, unless we are careful, we can easily take our bounty for granted. But after being invited into your mail boxes weekly for nearly 3 years, and chatting with you on email and by phone, I feel as if I have come to know you quite well. And from where I sit, I see a group of nearly 4,000 people from several countries and all walks of life who are decidedly thankful for their bounty all year long.

You set a wonderful example for me every day, so allow me to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" for allowing me the privilege of sharing your mail boxes each week. You help me to see the world afresh each morning, and I am eternally grateful for all of the sweet gestures and kind thoughts you send my way. So wherever you are in the world and in whatever circumstances you find yourself, I hope and pray that you are content, and that even in the challenging times, you find the grace and strength to recognize the things and people in your life for which you are thankful every day from the bottom of your heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Of course it's wonderful to have "permission" today to enjoy a table full of foods filled with butters, cheeses, oils, breads and comfort foods of all types. But if you would like to include a hearty selection which does not sacrifice taste, I offer this recipe. It's quick and easy and wherever you are, there's probably still time to run to the market to buy the ingredients and have it ready in time for dinner. I served this at my daughter's birthday party last month and it was a big hit. I hope you enjoy it too!