By Maggie DiGiovanni
Elmore/Autauga News
Celebrating Thanksgiving with friends made the holiday perfect as seniors gathered at Eclectic Senior Center. Turkey and ham, provided by Town Hall, surrounded by vegetables, salads of every variety, and desserts guaranteed to satisfy every sweet tooth, covered two long tables.
After a morning of games, including Bingo with gifts provided by Ivy Creek, appetites grew as smiling volunteers carried dish after dish from the kitchen. While sharing the meal, some Center members shared something more precious; their memories of Thanksgivings Past.
Minnie Johnson is the Director of the Senior Center. She looked back at days of beautiful weather where children and adults came together for ball games. Later, under a sunny sky, meals were sometimes served outside on picnic tables. She smiled to herself reliving those days.
Mary Stubbs had her first real Thanksgiving after she married. “We were lucky to have food on the table at regular meals,” she said. I think upon hearing her story, all of us who were fortunate enough to have good childhood memories of this holiday, no longer took it for granted.
Robin Nummy’s sweetest memory was of cousins, sometimes thirty-two, playing in a large basement at a lake house in Fort Payne. The parents played cards or talked upstairs. With her outgoing personality, it was easy to imagine her happiness with so many children in the house.
Jean Stinchcomb loves having her children arrive from Tuscaloosa, Georgia and one from up North. A statuesque woman with a big heart, she was surprised this year with her son Wallace and Chris, the son of a dear friend, arriving to share the day with her.
Diana Hart said having parents, grandparents and cousins together made the day as close to perfect as it could be. Euell Holly insisted that this day spent with his senior friends neared perfection. Shirley Scott remembered her mother’s cooking filling the house with the smells of Thanksgiving and love.
Thelma Land loved having the family together at her house. Thelma is the person who makes others feel special just by being in the same room. She has a smile of welcome for everyone and shares it liberally.
The theme that came through in every conversation was the beauty of family. When Ms. Minnie asked if anyone had something to share before the meal prayer, so many gave thanks for their extended family. Having people to talk with, play games, sympathize when things get rough or laugh with each other when life is good, is especially important as each person moves into the twilight years.
Friends who grew up in the same timeframe and understand what life was like growing up then, provide the links everyone needs to hold meaningful conversations.
Wednesday, the first day of thankfulness for members and guests of the Senior Center, brought everyone together for food. It also brought back good memories and an occasional not-so-good one. As for your reporter, choosing just one memory one is impossible.
What comes to mind first is going to Granny B’s house, the children playing outside while the men sat talking. Mama and all the women filled the house with laughter as well as good food. The highlight came after dinner. We gathered at the piano where Cousin Barbara played and we all sang. Invariably, Barbara’s last song was the Boogie-Woogie. That always set Granny B fussing about that awful music and signaled the end to a perfect day.
Following close behind that memory is my brother taking over the cooking of our family meal. He began on Tuesday, chopping, mashing, dicing and generally getting ingredients ready to put together on Wednesday. The highlight of any meal for winter holidays was Jim’s cornbread dressing and giblet gravy. He passed away two years ago but left the recipe to me. It graced the table at the Senior Center Wednesday. He would smile to know not one tiny spoonful remained in the pan.
