We invest a lot in holidays - we remember them as they were for us as children. The luckiest of us have warm, wonderful remembrances; for some the holiday is not warm and fuzzy.


Six years ago as we settled into a new community to live, in a new church family in which to worship, my husband - who happens to be the Episcopal priest in this small town - suggested to me that the newly founded tradition in the parish over the past few years had been a Thanksgiving Feast at the church. At the church??? - what does that mean? What about the family and the turkey and the whatever? Oh well, how bad could it be?


Bad would not describe the event - that's right, bad would never do - only fabulous would describe the event that has grown over the past few years from 16 to 52 this past Thursday. This year we cooked 4 turkeys in the church kitchen and then the greatest potluck ever began to arrive dish by dish - person by person - a true feast.


But the feast was not only the food - the joy of table fellowship with some Christians and some NOT, some young, some not.....well, let me give you a little rundown on the "cast" that gathered to feast together and to give thanks for our blessings - 2 college professors, a fraternity chef with 3 of his young men who had stayed on campus for the holiday, 2 gay men - not together, 1 lesbian woman (at least that we know of) who sort of "came out" in the shared conversation during lunch, at least 2 schizophrenics - on their meds:), one 7 member family of parents, children and grandchildren, one couple with their sib and in-laws, a couple who refused to attend the cold feeling country club luncheon and found 5 new friends with an amazing amount of life in common, a beautiful freshman female reunited with her family after her first semester away - the young college men made sure she was comfortable during the afternoon, a young widow and her 4 year old son celebrating their first holiday without their husband and dad, a single business owner who had never suspected she would be spending Thanksgiving Day in a church hall eating turkey - you see what I mean about the feast?


Where else could such a diverse group of people yearning for a memorable, special day trust their precious "memories to be" go - well, this year it was to a small church hall with the smell of fresh turkey, pumpkin pie, and prayer lingering over it all.


For those of you whose holiday might not have been as memorable as you would have liked for it to be, try to remember that the feast is sometimes not where you would expect it; but in order to find it, you may need to step out and take a chance. Sometimes it's really worth the effort! Happy Thanksgiving weekend!