Mr. FixIt and I were standing at the corner of the house…of all things, looking for a tiny silver link that broke on the bracelet I bought him for Christmas a year or so ago. He caught it on the ladder when he was working on the outdoor electrical outlet he was replacing while I was at the farm. I heard a vehicle pull into the drive and turned to find a young couple delivering our Thanksgiving Dinner. Our little town gave out 500 meals yesterday…regardless of income or need. We were told we were actually helping them out in order to keep up their funding for next year. And, believe me, I was grateful to not have to cook a big meal…especially after just getting home Wednesday afternoon.

The food was wonderful…turkey with all the trimmings. As I sat down to eat, I counted my blessings that we are at a point in our lives where we know where our next check comes from. There’s something to be said for the Social Security and Medicare years. I’ve been watching the news and seeing such long lines of people sitting in their cars in line at food banks and thinking….where would we be if this pandemic had occurred when our own children were small and we were struggling, just starting out? That is where so many are…just starting out and victims of the efforts to prevent this virus from overrunning the hospitals.

Yet, here we are…numbers rising astronomically. It does no good to go backwards and say, “If only this would have happened.” We are here now. We know not enough people cancelled travel plans and gatherings, I’m afraid. Let us pray hard in the coming weeks that somehow people “get it” and practice healthy safeguards. I come from a science background, so I know how this should go…I just hope it does.

Yesterday was still a day filled with blessings. I talked to so many people…by phone, chat, and FaceTime. It wasn’t the same as giving them a hug around the neck, but oh….it still felt so good to see the faces and hear the voices of those I love. We all agreed, this is a major interruption in how we normally celebrate. But if we can keep the chairs filled next year…it will have been worth the sacrifice.

With all that communication, I didn’t get a chance to bake the pumpkin pies I wanted. I did make cranberry sauce and I baked two of the Sugar Pie Pumpkins and made the purée. I’ll try to get the pies made today. I almost hate making cranberry sauce because I’m the only one who likes it and I cannot eat all of it. I’m looking for recipes that will help me use it up, so if you have any…please share. We all have leftovers!

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“Your wife will be as fruitful as a grapevine, and just as an olive tree is rich with olives, your home will be rich with healthy children.”

Psalms 128:3 CEV