There is a line from a favorite John Prine song that reads “I am old woman, named after my mother. My old man is another child that’s grown old.” Where is it certainly true that the Professor is a child at heart and even more so as he ages, the truest ring in the line is that I am an old woman, and yes, was named after my beautiful mother.
This Thanksgiving I will be spending with Sister Golden Hair and her family. It is the first time we have all been around a Thanksgiving table together in more than 25 years. I am obsessing with making it a true Long family affair which will stoke memories in the both of us.
Being the kitchen dweller I am, I have begun the early preparation of what Thanksgiving dishes can be handled beforehand. One of them is my mom’s stuffing. Sister and I have had a ritual of sorts ever since our momma left the earth. We both, from our separate kitchens 1,000 miles apart, light a candle and invite Mom to come into the kitchen with us and put her ‘magic’ in our hands. Silly, I guess, but to us it is like calling on angels. If you are so inclined, you do understand.
Last afternoon, after I had finished making the cranberry sauce and the stuffing, I cleaned up the kitchen and blew the candle out. As I made my way to the living room the clock read 3:56 pm. I thought, ‘Nice, maybe I can catch a 4 o’clock movie starting.’ I flipped around the stations and sure enough, I found one that I thought would peak my interest. As I sat the few minutes waiting for it to start, I closed my eyes and began a silent devotion to Mom. I thanked her for joining me, I thanked her for everything. I told her of my hopes that this holiday would be most meaningful in that Sis and I would be together again.
Hearing the background music of the movie beginning to play, I opened my eyes and put my attention to the screen. There manifested before my eyes was her name spelled out in vivid letters. What? Based on a book by….Jeannie Long?
Yes, I think my mother does know! There are signs everywhere!