Heart of the Home

- D. Susan Rutz

Kind uncle saved her from embarrassment

The Thanksgiving I will always remember is the year I was a newlywed and I invited all of my relatives over for Thanksgiving dinner.

When the turkey was done, my uncle, who was a gourmet cook, carved the turkey. To my horror, the bag containing the giblets was still in it.

My uncle was so kind. He said, 'Shhh, we won't tell anybody,' and he kept on carving.

Everyone raved on and on about the turkey. They said it was the best they'd ever had. It was so moist, and it tasted wonderful.

It could have been a very embarrassing moment for me, had it not been for my uncle.

Milford, Ill.

Ate greatest meal in an unlikely place

The greatest Thanksgiving meal I ever had was in an unlikely place. About 50 years ago, I was expecting my first baby, who was due two weeks after Thanksgiving.

That year, my mother and my mother-in-law were combining their efforts to provide a scrumptious meal of turkey and ham with salads, pies and tasty desserts. I looked forward to having Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and my husband's family.

But the baby had other plans. He initiated a quick trip to the hospital, and he arrived at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. After I slept through the day, I was served turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Although I had to skip most of the gravy and the pumpkin pie, it was one of the best Thanksgiving meals I ever ate.  

Salina, Kan.

Brother's visit surprised family

Thanksgiving 1958 was to be a sad day for our family, especially my mother, because my brother would be absent. Joe was a soldier stationed at Camp Breckenridge, Ky.

The day was cold and snowy as Mom and I prepared Thanksgiving dinner. Dad, Mom and we four children had always been home together for the holiday, so Mom was pretty quiet.

We happened to look out the kitchen window at about the same time to see, in the distance, a lone figure walking up the road through the falling snow. We looked at each other, and Mom cried out, 'It's Joey!'

He had hitchhiked more than 300 miles to get home. He was so cold, and we were so happy to see him. Soon after we ate, my parents left to take Joe back to Kentucky.

The sight of my brother walking up the road in the snow is forever imprinted in my mind.

Puxico, Mo.