Sweet - for Eternity!

It is just not Thanksgiving without pie. Norman Rockwell says so. Well, at least that was a part of the American tradition that he illustrated so well.

These days we seem to run to the store for things like pie. Mrs. Smith and Marie Callander have made it so very easy for us. And the pies taste great too. They probably have enough preservatives in them to make us last a long time too.

Every once in a while we decide to slow down, and Thanksgiving is one of those times when Karin gets the cooking bug. I personally think she can channel Martha Stewart if she wants to, but being ever so practical, she lets others have the fun if they are so inclined.  Ah - that's what I need, a Martha Stewart kitchen!

Roger loved family times and I think he loved it even more when it involved home baked goods.

I always got a good laugh at these baking times. Roger was famous for saying...."oh, I do NOT like sugar!"   Right.   How many people who knew Roger Tome would say that he did not like sugar?

What he actually meant was...I do not like to add sugar to what has already been prepared for me.  That might be, ice cream, cake, pie, coffee......peanut butter cups.....

Get the idea?

I never, ever, saw him turn down something that had sugar already hidden within it's recipe.   Occasionally, however, he would say that something was too sweet. Like Pecan Pie - my  personal favorite, sweet as it might be!

So we gathered at the Thanksgiving table this year and we really missed Roger. Emily created a beautiful floral centerpiece, with great thanks to the neighbors who grow amazing flowers in their landscapes. She arranged it just perfectly - a little Martha Stewart in the making!

I can still see Nani's pilgrims on the table. Mr. Pilgrim has lost the top of his musket, but that does not matter. It is a good place for a flower. You don't have to toss something because it might be slightly broken. You just add something beautiful to it.

So, in a way, our lives are broken this Thanksgiving. They are a little sadder because someone very special is missing. Roger was the only one who needed a coffee pot running all day, every day. He was the only one who would at least try every new dish on the table - although we tend to be a family that has personal favorites at Thanksgiving. I think Jim is the adventurous one.  I'm glad he did the TurDuckIn last year so that Roger could experience it.

But all in all, everything was lovely and we laughed a lot. And we ate much more than we should have...and though he did not get any, Roger would have been all about Jessica's Creme Brûlée  -  even when she pulled out the torch!

Roger's Lesson:
Keep on loving one another and spending those special times together. They mean more than anything that money can buy.

We are fortunate that our family does not really fight or disagree about too much, or very often at all. Maybe the trials of this lifetime have taught us that there are some things that are so much more important than the silly things of life - that cause disagreements and heartaches.   Maybe we have just learned that some things are important for eternity, and some just are not.

And Roger would say that FAMILY is important and that God put that unique combination together for a reason.

And best of all, the thought of being together in the Family of God - for eternity - tops anything that life can dish out.

We miss you Roger - always will - but just knowing we will all be together again.....Thank you Jesus, that you made that possible.....

For Eternity!