Love makes the world go 'round

I made a pumpkin tart in a tin measuring cup that was my mother's mother's for my granddaughter.

I made pumpkin pies and crusts from the recipe my grandmothers on both sides used.

I made the dressing our family loves from the card in the recipe file box that was my grandmother's before me. My sis had brought bread to me so I would have plenty when she was over on Tuesday. I made it in a large pan with a lid that my mother left here Tuesday. She had brought it over filled with boiled dinner for Sis and I.

I thought of photos of my mate as a teen when I saw the grandson at dinner Thursday. There really is a strong resemblance. I thought of my photographer dad, grandfather, mom's dad, and uncle when I ran through in my head all the family photos I got to thinking of then.

I thought of my dad's mom, who died the year I turned 12, when I stuffed the back side of the bird for dinner. She loved the tailbone fat for her gravy.

My sis-in-law that the mate had the most trouble caring about was in surgery on the 15th. She had a tumor removed that had covered most of her organs. She is doing well and it was not cancer. The whole family, minus Bro1, was at the hospital with her. B1son was there and said they asked about me and talked about the mate as they waited.

Best Girl was here on Wednesday helping me hang wallpaper in the upstairs hall. Monday and Tuesday we had stripped and painted the small upstairs bedroom. The floor took the longest to dry. The nephew and The Kid moved the furniture in and out over the days, The Kid fixed the old plaster walls. KMA re-did them to her standards. It's almost done. One wall to paper and a trim to buy and apply will finish it. The Grand1 is up there now, asleep. So is the cat.

I thought of the mate every time I picked up a tool marked with his initials. Every time I hung something new up that he would have liked and every time one of his family was lovingly helping me around the house.

My #1son and family joined Best Girl and Grand1 with me for the holiday dinner. Grand2, who painted the bathroom, was out with a cousins family for the day and probably will hunt today. Scooter Girl and her two with her mate could not come, they had to work. Eldest Daughter was on the phone with me Tuesday night and anticipating an excellent weekend.

I missed the white dog playing with the grandgirl when I watched her haul a small pillow over and lay on it by the black dog, right in her face, chatting to her and rattling on in tot almost talk. She was close enough to be breathing up the dog's nose. Dog never moved. We were all laughing.

The grandgirl also likes the old tom, Timone, and chased him all over when he was in. She was a fun visitor yesterday.

I stayed up talking with Grand1 until the wee hours. We covered a lot of topics, from friends and school to family and the future. It was interesting and we shared a lot of thoughts.

I watched Best Girl set the table with the new dishes and silver in the freshly painted dining room in front of the new curtains. The Lions game was playing in the background.

I made gravy while Grand1 mashed potatoes with a masher like my dad's mom's masher.

I cut the slices on the bird the way the mate had done for years.

I turned and I saw all the food I had made in the traditions of our family; a beautifully done turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, small corn on the cob, two pumpkin pies, the small tart for the little grandgirl, sage and onion dressing, two pumpkin and one apple pie with cool whip available for later.

I realized how all the love given to me and the skills taught to me by those I loved as a child were passing on to the next gen in the love I showed them and the things I taught them.

I saw the love my family members and the mate's family members have for me as the large and beautiful love it is and a treasure to share with the grands I have and the kids I love. They will take the love we showed them on into their lives in the future.

The future will be filled with love if we fill our people with love and show them how to share it with others.

I am proud of the people I came from and the family that loved me and mine. I am proud of the children we have and the way they have overcome the hurts of growing up with us and love us still. I am proud of the way they care for their children and love them, their friends and others they come in contact with. I am proud of me for staying through the hard part and finding out that losing the daily contact here with the love of the mate let me be more aware of the love others have for me. It gives me more time to spend with others, besides him, who need me and whom I love to help.

Giving Thanks today for the brain that let me figure out that, from the smallest peek through the binoculars by my grama to the driving lessons from my dad, those who have loved me and that I have loved are not only remembered but part of me and part of the love I pass on to the kids and grands.

Love shared is never wasted. Share your love today. Thank you all for being here to go through this with me. Hugs to you all.