Thanksgiving Memories
Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrated every year in November. The holiday was first celebrated by the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians in 1621. In 1863, President Abe Lincoln declared that there be a Thanksgiving Day every year in November. Everyone has Thanksgiving traditions that usually consist of food, family, friends, football, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and more. It is also a day to give thanks for all of the blessings in life. In honor of the special holiday, some of the Bordas & Bordas attorneys and staff have collaborated to share their favorite memories about Thanksgiving.
Marilyn Bell: One of my most memorable Thanksgivings was going to Holly River (Webster County) to visit a great aunt. She had a large, old farmhouse way down in a holler (as we called it). The old house was full of mysterious old items, including a pipe organ. Not sure why they had one in their home, but it was pretty awesome. But what I loved most about this farm were the animals - cows, chickens, rabbits and ducks. There was a small, shallow stream that ran behind the house, with just a board to cross over, and the barn set up the hill from the house. Now, what I am about to tell you is the honest truth. That year, when we went out back to see the animals, all the ducks were missing their feet. They were walking around on stubs! They had run around enough to the point where the stubs had flattened out a little. They were not in pain, and it didn’t interfere with their mobility (if anything, they could run faster on their stubs than on webbed, flat duck feet). They were perfectly normal otherwise, and they were ALL alike. Needless to say, we were amazed. Our aunt explained that the previous winter, the ducks were in the creek wading when the temperature dropped and their feet were frozen in the water. The rest of the story you can only imagine. I have since researched this phenomenon on the Internet and it is possible. My sisters and cousins can attest to this story. Craziest bunch of ducks you’d ever see. That’s a Thanksgiving sight I’ll never forget.
Sally Blon: When I was small, Thanksgiving was a wonderful time of year. The house smelled of turkey and yeast bread rising, while the pumpkin pies and cinnamon rolls, made the day before, were lined up on the counter waiting to be eaten. All of us kids were sent out to play so we wouldn't be under foot in the kitchen, or stick our fingers into the pies. We could hardly wait to be called in for dinner. I fondly remember those years, and especially that my eyes were always bigger than my belly. I never listened when my mom would tell me not load my plate because I could never finish it all. The family dog loved me though.
Geoff Brown: My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is football. Every year, our friends from Cleveland come to town for the annual Wheeling Worms vs. Ohio Hobos Turkey Bowl. The game started nine years ago in our backyard and the kids, who were much younger then, came up with the names of the teams. Over the years, we’ve moved the game to a bigger field and we now have team jerseys. The only thing on the line, other than pride, is that the losing team has to pay for the winning team’s trip to Sheetz after the game. As a proud member of the Worms, it is embarrassing to say that we have just two wins against six losses over the history of the game. Hopefully, we can turn things around on Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving and Go Worms!
Jodi Cunningham: My favorite things about Thanksgiving are spending time with loved ones, giving thanks to God for all our blessings and enjoying all the wonderful food, especially my favorite – “Acorn Squash Casserole.”
Jeanne Dedo: I remember sitting at the kids’ table with all my cousins and thinking how great it would be to sit at the adult table. Once I got to the adult table, I was thinking I want to go back and sit at the kids’ table, which was much more fun than the adult table. You never know how much you’ll miss the little things in life that make you happy and I truly believe the food at the kids table always tasted better. Now, Thanksgiving has become a forgotten holiday. We go from Halloween straight to Christmas. Sad, but true.
Erin Dodd: Just thinking of Thanksgiving Day, the aroma of the festive foods that fill the home and looking forward to tasting some specialty pies from relatives makes my mouth water. But, for me, it has always been, and always will be more about the family being together and the memories each year generates.
As a child, Thanksgiving was the time the aunts, uncles and many cousins gathered at my grandparents’ home. While the adults prepared the feast and visited over football games, the children all played flag football in the yard holding our very own “Turkey Bowl.” After dinner, we nestled in our sleeping bags lined up in the rec room staying up late, goofing around, playing games and scaring each other with silly ghost stories.
Now, I am one of those aunts making side dishes for the grandparents home - creating the memories for my children, nieces and nephews. But honestly, it gives me an even bigger thrill to see the memories they create together, and a bonding that will never be broken amongst them all. I am truly grateful to have a solid home foundation and a loving family with which to celebrate this holiday time.
Sharon Eubanks: My favorite Thanksgiving thing is making the dinner with my mom.
Missy McAbee: One Thanksgiving when I was about 10, my cousin, Michelle, and I thought we were going to be the best hunters in the world. We had this bright idea of staying at our grandparent’s house the night before Thanksgiving and getting up at the crack of dawn to go hunting down in our grandfather’s field. We got up, bundled all up and headed down into the woods with my grandfather and my dad. I remember how cold it was and how bored we were. And being 10-year-old girls, we weren’t very quiet. Needless to say, we lasted about 30 minutes down in those woods before we headed back up to the house and back to bed.
Alena McAllister: My favorite part of Thanksgiving is being lucky enough to be able to spend it with my family. When I first graduated college, I worked in retail management and was always required to spend long hours at my stores in preparation for Black Friday sales. Sometimes it was exhilarating, especially the rush of people coming through our doors at midnight openings. But having to go to bed early in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day or, worse, having to skip Thanksgiving dinner completely was not a happy trade. I’m thankful that my time in retail is over and I hope that we can temper our excitement for Black Friday deals long enough to allow my former colleagues to spend a day with their families as well.
Becky Murphy: Thanksgiving with my family was and always has been filled with lots of food, lots of relatives and FOOTBALL. Fun times with mom, dad, my brothers, their families and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Now that mom, dad, aunts and uncles have passed on, we are carrying on the tradition with our local family members and in-laws. It is still a good time to get together with all that can make it to Thanksgiving dinner. And for that, I am VERY, VERY GRATEFUL. Of course, we also remember all of those family members who are no longer with us and give thanks to God for having them in our lives for however long or short. So, I hope everyone has a THANKFUL THANKSGIVING and you all think of everything you are thankful for, past and present, on this wonderful day.
Bryan Pasciak: I love spending time with my family, watching football and relaxing. As someone who enjoys sweet potatoes and pumpkins, Thanksgiving dinner is usually one of my favorites.
Tricia Pennell: One of my favorite traditions for Thanksgiving is putting up my Christmas tree and decorating for the holidays. I do this every year on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) and then I have dinner on Friday with my family and celebrate the upcoming holiday season.
Sherry Sharpsky: Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday. I have such fond memories of family gatherings -- love, laughter, reminiscing and the wonderful aromas coming out of my mom’s kitchen. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the wonderful blessings that God has bestowed upon us and should open our hearts to charity, peace and goodwill.
Crystal Shaver: One of the things I look forward to the most on Thanksgiving is the fact that my mom makes each one of us kids our own pumpkin pie to take home each year. She also makes cinnamon rolls out of the leftover dough, which we all fight over because there’s usually only enough dough to make two. So we do have to share the cinnamon rolls, but we are all guaranteed our own pie! Umm, I’m getting hungry …
Ty Smith: One thing I will always remember about Thanksgiving is when I was in the sixth grade, my cousins came into town from Cleveland. My uncle promised to take all seven of us hunting for turkey. I excitedly thought that meant I was going to either operate a rifle or a bow. When we reached the forest, my uncle instructed each of us to find a big stick…. I said, “For what?” He said to hunt turkey (boom)…how disappointed I was. We never even saw a turkey. We just walked around in the cold and mud for a few hours. Little did I know he just wanted to get us out of the house so my mother, her sisters and my grandmother could have some peace while they prepared the best meal of the year.
Darcy Springer: I have been making Thanksgiving Dinner for my entire family for at least the last 35 years! That is a lot of turkeys, dressing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies. What is the one Thanksgiving no one lets me forget? The one year I failed to put sugar in the pies. I laugh at myself for the sugarless pie as well! I love having everyone come to dinner at my house, and knowing my dinner is their favorite! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Jay Stoneking: Years ago my church used to sponsor a free Thanksgiving dinner for those who couldn’t afford one. My wife and I volunteered to drive a van around town, picking up our guests, taking them to the church and then returning them home. We got to socialize with all of our guests. Then at the end of the day all of the volunteers would eat their meal together, tired but genuinely happy that we had the opportunity to serve so many.
Ellie Wallace: Although every Thanksgiving has been a wonderful memory of spending time with family, my most cherished memories are the ones when my mother and father were still alive and we would all pile into their little house with our growing families. The house my parents raised the four of us kids in was not a large house and it seemed to grow smaller each year as our families grew. But it didn’t seem to bother any of us that we were all squeezed in there like sardines. Every Thanksgiving Day we would gather at their home and spend the whole day long into the evening sharing our lives, our love and eating the best home cooked food one could ever be blessed with.
Amy Wilson: Our family gathered each year at my grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving. I have fond memories of walking into her house and seeing glistening tinfoil everywhere—wrapped over the turkey, covering the pumpkin pies and enveloping the glass casserole dishes that housed all the sides.
Susan Wilson: I have always been with my entire family and then added my husband’s family to our dinner table through the years on Thanksgiving Day. My most precious memory is from when I was a very young. Thanksgiving was my dad’s favorite holiday and my mom (who had seven children, making us a family of nine and quite poor money-wise) would prepare our Thanksgiving Day meal almost single-handedly. She started days before. But at that time, it was not only the nine of us at the table. We had several tables set up in the kitchen, my parent’s bedroom and the living room to accommodate grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. My mom would prepare a meal for sometimes upwards of 30 people in our tiny house. Today, my sister has inherited Thanksgiving Day from my mom and we all help prepare my mom’s traditional Thanksgiving Day meal, including her stuffing. I have to mention the stuffing. It is a different recipe than the traditional, but so good! We have practically made no changes to her recipes, other than our in-laws will bring different desserts to enjoy. And those desserts are wonderful. Another part of the meal that has not changed is my mom’s pumpkin pies. I have taken over baking her pumpkin pies—lots of them—and no store-bought for us, ever. I think my mom’s pumpkin pies are more important to my family than anything else we gobble up on this day. My older brother demands that I make a pie just for him to take home and I always have to prepare at least two pumpkin pies to be left behind at my house for my family to enjoy. Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!
Zak Zatezalo: For us, Thanksgiving is possibly our truest family day of the year. It combines the reflection of Christmas without the gift-buying pressures. I love to watch the Macy’s Day Parade with the kids and then help with the final dinner preparations before welcoming our extended family for a dinner filled with the mindfulness of God’s grace and the things that truly matter most in life.
