Advice from a small town girl

Some of you may have seen the ad in last week’s paper for a community Thanksgiving dinner at Old Town Hall.

That’s my cell phone number on the ad.

When I lived in Portland, a little over three hours from my family in Bickleton, I frequently had to work the Friday and sometimes the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I love my family, but six and a half hours in a car in one day just isn’t my idea of anything to be thankful for.

Then I discovered Thanksgiving dinner at my church. One of the groups at the church provided the turkey, and everything else was pot luck. We didn’t always have a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, but it was always absolutely wonderful.

Not everyone who came was a Methodist. I’m not even sure they were all Christian. They were people who were thankful for a place to go, a place to celebrate the fact that they were part of a larger community.

It always made me feel that I’d had the opportunity to see Thanksgiving as what it was originally intended to be – an ecumenical community celebration, not a time for families to sequester themselves.

I’ve been wanting to do this for several years, but this is the first time I’ve remembered early enough in the season to actually do something about it. A Thanksgiving feast is not really something you can put on at a moment’s notice. I wonder how far in advance the Pilgrims planned the first one.

So here’s the deal:

We will cook turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie. We will cook enough for however many people RSVP to 988-0085 or 982-0122 or 982-2123. You (if you decide to attend) will bring a salad, olives, pickles, other dessert selections, vegetables, cranberries, or whatever else you think is needed.

We will all share in giving thanks (to whomever or whatever) we wish.

Then we’ll eat.

We’ll visit.

Hopefully, people will help clean up.

Then we can talk, sing, play games, or spend the rest of the day just being thankful.

Please be advised that there is not a television at Old Town Hall. To my mind that’s probably a blessing, but you may not agree.

The Odessa Masonic Lodge is providing the turkey, but this is not a Masonic event. Masons and non-Masons are most welcome.

It’s not an event only for those with nowhere else to go, although they are most welcome.

It’s not an event only for Odessa natives, although they also are most welcome.

It’s not an event only for Christians, Americans, Germans from Russia or any other group, although they are all most welcome.

It’s a community event.

Call me.