Thanksgiving at Georgia's
My aunt and uncle have one of those historical homes everyone’s looking for these days.
Except theirs is truly historical - in the physical sense that it’s over 100 years old and has stood the test of time.
But also in the figurative sense, because their love was like none other.
They married young and bought their home early on in their marriage and it has grown with them for about four decades.
Thanksgiving at Georgia’s has always been my favorite.
I can remember running in the front door as a little girl, hugging and kissing grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins on my way to the dessert table (because there were always desserts!) Congo Squares, Forgotten Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies…
Yum!
We’d spend hours watching football and my little cousins running away from my dad. Those poor, horrified children! And my dad, just as happy as ever, terrorizing them.
Thanksgiving at Georgia’s, 2007
Pete and Georgia, 2015
My momma and her baby sister, 2016
Just a few years ago, my sweet Aunt Georgia was about to end her battle with ovarian cancer right around Thanksgiving. We weren’t sure if she had the strength to host the family at her house, but in true Georgia fashion, she demanded that we were all together in her home.
We cooked in her kitchen and ate in her living room as she listened to our laughter, our joy, rushing through the hallway into the bed she lay in.
The time came to pray for the meal and Georgia asked that we do the prayer in her bedroom. I was asked to lead the prayer and I did the best I could, trying to get out “thank you’s” to Jesus between sobs and deep breaths.
Georgia understood so well that we walk in joy and thankfulness no matter the circumstances, and she was experiencing the hardest battle of any of us.
Where does this hope and joy come from? It is only in the Father. Thank you, Jesus, for HOPE!
Each year, the time comes to bring in the long tables and chairs as we figure out how to maneuver in such a tight space. But honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I adore these people and I love how there’s so many of us that we can barely move around!
The ones at the table have changed over the years. Some have moved on and others have passed away.
Yet still, there’s something sacred about the people who join us at the table on Thanksgiving evening. There’s a tangible spirit of love, thanksgiving, and gratitude that we feel when we finally sit down to commune together.
This Thanksgiving will not be easy. We recently lost my Uncle Tim, Georgia’s twin, and others who have moved on. And I wonder if we’ll have to remove more chairs at the table this year.
But we’ll still head over to Georgia and Pete’s house. We’ll give kisses and hugs as we race to the dessert table.
Cause that’s what Georgia would want us to do.
Our last Thanksgiving with Georgia, 2016
Trimble Thanksgiving at Pete and Georgia’s, 2007
That time Georgia yelled, “I want EVERYONE in the kitchen. NOW!” So, we did. All ~28 of us. And yes, we were standing on top of the counters, the sink, the stove. In her 5x8 foot kitchen. It was one of my favorite moments in this house!
Grandma Trimble’s Congo Squares
2/3 cup margarine or butter
1 lb box brown sugar
3 eggs
1 bag chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Melt margarine or butter, remove from stove. Add brown sugar. Stir until well mixed. Cool a little. Add eggs one at a time, beating by hand after each. Add sifted dry ingredients, then chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 8.5x13.5” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Don’t overcook - will cause dryness.
