So thankful...

I called brother Justin on Tuesday to wish him a happy 34th birthday and he surprised me by saying that he was thinking of flying up from Chico, CA to stay with us for a few days for Thanksgiving. And by 2p.m. Wednesday, he was here!

Not surprisingly, our days were filled with lots of food! Eric's special blueberry pancakes on Thanksgiving morning--mmmm. I was still in bed when this picture was taken.

We had planned to make biscuits for our community Thanksgiving meal, but decided at the last minute to make two of our favorites from last year: vegetarian meatloaf and sage onion gravy. So, it was off to the store (which was surprisingly quiet), then back to the kitchen.

The tender of the stove:

"Meat"loaf in process:

Gravy in process:

The spread:

It was more than enough for the 30-some folks who came, but you've got to plan for leftovers, no?

Our table. I had a great time teaching some of these guys to play UNO after dinner while others lounged below the football game that was projected on the wall. Who was playing again? I can't remember.

Four of the guys we dined with are from different parts of the world--Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala--and they all have partners or children who are far away and some have gone years without seeing them. It was a blessing to be together on this day when we feel thankful and, at the same time, a little less than complete as we think about our loved ones who we can't see in person.

I am thankful for my family--the ones who are close and the ones who are spread out over this country. And I am thankful for the abundance of food and friends that sustain us, and the patchwork families that we knit together wherever we are. Thanks to God that blood is not the only thing that binds.