Holidays Around the Table
“I grew up in a home that welcomed all. You never knew who’d show up at the table: the woman my mother met at the Post Office, a man fresh out of detox. My mother never knew a stranger. People attended her funeral who’d only met her a few weeks prior to her death.
“Meals at the holidays were always jolly affairs, although it took me years to appreciate my mother’s generosity. We had a large family, and then there were the folks who became family through the years, plus new ‘family’ whom she knew had no one at home.
“Both my parents are now gone, and I’m the chef for my own family. We’re trying to continue the tradition by opening our home to those who have no family, and we’re looking forward to seeing who’s at our table. It’s especially important now, because two of our kids are at other tables this year, with other family and friends who’ve expanded their family table to welcome ours in.”
