Togetherness

This is my entry for Abstract Thursday.  It was what we ate to celebrate this holiday.  None of that turkey stuff for these Italians!  The theme is togetherness.  I could get all mushy about it but the synonym I thought of was inseparableness.  Just try to separate the beef, sauce, provolone, ricotta, Parmesan, spices and noodles in this dish.  I dare you. See the original in extras.

Thanksgiving is a time we give thanks (redundant?) for the things with which we are blessed.  Today, I cooked everything from scratch. Yes, me. The person who has used an oven only two other times since 1975. I have a friend who I knew had nowhere to go so I invited her which made the three of us lucky to have each other.

Thanksgiving in the U.S. is thought to have begun when the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest.  It was a nice thought. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held on the fourth Thursday each November.  I think that's pretty remarkable. Many people both here and around the world believe ours are among the darkest times in history.  They aren't.

So thanks I give. For the family that makes me crazy but whom I love with all of my heart. For the elderly lady who thanked me for smiling at her ("nobody smiles anymore"). For my friends on both sides of this keyboard. For this site so that I can share my life with others.  And for Mother nature, which makes me smile every time I look out a window or step out the door.