Let's see...two big hams, a turkey, cranberries, rice pudding, sweet potatoes with walnuts and maple sugar, mashed potatoes with ham or turkey gravy, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, sweet corn, rolls and butter, apple, pecan, and chocolate pie, coffee, tea, milk, and soda pop. It's possible I've left something out, but so far as I recall, that was our Moore family Christmas dinner tonight. For as many years as I remember, Linda's family gets together on the Saturday before Christmas to wrap gifts we have bought for a needy family or families.
Thirty some-odd people gathered in our home for dinner, conversation, and wrapping (some would say the emphasis should be on the "odd"); I know families that can't get more than three or four together without the danger of a major brouhaha. We aren't perfect by any means. We've grumbled about each other, and have certainly not always seen eye to eye on everything, but here we were, together not just for ourselves, but for families far less fortunate than we.
It was different this year; the first year without an actual Moore present. Linda's mom, the last of the clan to bear that surname, passed away last New Year's Eve. The blessing of being together had its somber moments, but we have a legacy of faith, generosity, and kindness that we received from her folks, have passed along to our kids, and that they have instilled in theirs. Her mom and dad are with the Lord, but their example remains with us. Even apart from the more than adequate meal, that legacy alone is plenty for which to give thanks tonight.
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