Day before Thanksgiving 1907

Wednesday, November 25:
Very cloudy & rained some. Men came & put coping on woodhouse & fixed barn doors. I ironed & worked some on dress, got din & sewed some.  Charley & I cleaned out the cistern. Done up work & got sup & rested. Rained this evening. Pa phoned from Logan as he went to funeral at Bennett Switch.  Aunt Sarah piecing double Irish chain quilt for May (my grandmother), blue & white.

In leafing through this personal account of an ordinary day in 1907, I am once again reminded of how things have changed in just 104 years, and also how things have remained the same.

Yesterday afternoon, two of my grandies were here after school.  I planned to give them a glimpse of the "Thanksgiving Project" we 3 will do together come this Thursday morning, while their parents are working on the dinner.  The annual project serves as a distraction from the meal prep and provides the kids and me a bit of fun in making something to share with the dinner guests.  In past years we have made craft projects or placemats.  This year we are making chocolate acorns (thanks to Gracie Collins for the idea!) from Hershey kisses and mini-vanilla wafers, pretzels, peanut butter and a dab of chocolate icing.

In addition to the "project", I thought it might be fun to have the kids try a true contribution to the meal by making applesauce using red hots, a little sugar and chunked up apples.  So yesterday after school we gave the applesauce a try, just to see how long it takes and to determine if we really like the end result.

I set the kids at different stations at the kitchen counter, each with a cutting board, halved apples and sharp paring knives.  I helped Emme (age 7) with the slicing and she did her own dicing.  Bailey (age 10) was more savvy with the knife and did his own slicing and chunking.  As a pile collected, I dumped them into the saucepan with some red hots and we watched and stirred.

The reward from our efforts was much better than I anticipated! We all 3 loved the bright red chunky sauce, and we took turns sampling a cooled spoonful of the yummy fruit from a small dish.  We agreed that this will be a big hit on Thanksgiving Day, and we must serve it warm.  Yum!

The big difference between my great-grandmother's entry above and our plan for Thanksgiving preparation is that she did her baking and cooking as part of her normal day.  She still sewed, worked outside, prepared meals and performed necessary tasks to keep the household going.  In 2011, our modern way of life does not require me to add the fun time with children to an already-busy day. I had spent the earlier part of Friday (my day off from work) going to appointments and running a few errands.  The joy of cooking with my grandies was an activity not a chore.

 I'm fairly certain that my great-grandmother had no idea she was making a "gifts list" when she recorded her diary entries.  She worked hard, indoors & out, devoted time to family and found time to read, rest and write. The diary was simply a recording of her day. Did it ever occur to her that others after her might read and hang onto every word?

This Thanksgiving, as with virtually all 63 of my Thankgiving holidays, I have the privilege of celebrating God's Bounty and appreciating the people He has put in my path.  I do not have to feed chickens, bake pies from scratch, travel by interurban or horse-drawn carriage.  I am blessed beyond words and perusing her diary brings me back to reality. Re-reading One Thousand Gifts, spurs me forward with my own list:

144. Savoring the moment
156. Judy's email
190. Making applesauce with grandies
191. Supper with hubby at McAllister's
193. He is my Portion.
194. Reading in the recliner.

I am smitten with God these days. Plain and simple, I have fallen in love with Him as never before.  And as my heart swells with His love and grace for others, my gifts list expands and opens my heart to more of His abundance.

For my heritage of faith, the words echoing from a fragile red leather diary, for parents who cherished me and my brothers, for husband and family that I adore, for a family of faith and for co-workers and friends, I am blessed beyond words.  This is Thanksgiving.