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Back in Iowa, where my mother and several of my siblings still live,
my big family gets together for a reunion at Mom’s apartment,
using the reception area of the little place where she now resides.
Mom cooks the main dishes, the turkey, gravy and potatoes
while the others bring the other fixings
along with spouses and whichever of their children are able to attend.
A few of my sisters live like me, far away from Iowa,
 but they manage to show up at least half the time.
I am the  lone wolf (or black sheep) who never gets to go!
I listen with a bit of envy as they tell me over the phone
 about their time in Iowa. They tell me of their travel there
and that big game they make sure to play each time – Apples to Apples!

Being far from my home state, I had never been able to attend this event
which has now replaced Christmas as the big reunion time of my family.
I feel so left out!
About five years ago, I was finally able to attend the Thanksgiving reunion.
Everyone was there, minus our beloved brother Dale who died in the 80’s
and my spouse! (he always finds a way not to go back there)
I seem to recall all my sisters’ kids were there minus a few of my nephews
and my own two children, for whom travel far away is also a challenge.

After helping Mom with the dinner preparations 
and making my healthful turmeric rice with veggies dish
(which hardly anyone even touched),
we all lined up to get the food and sat down to nicely arranged tables.
After the dinner and fun conversation, we readied
for their famous game I had heard about - Apples to Apples.
I really looked forward to it (I'd bought it for myself
 to become familiar with it beforehand and played it with my grandkids).
It turns out I was not misinformed about Mom.  
She turned out to be the little cheat at cards that everyone told me she was.
(and by the way, it takes a good card cheat to know another!)
We all got a kick out of her taking extra cards thinking nobody was looking.
It was great fun, and at the end of the day, we all left for a movie,
finishing off by taking family pictures at the theater. 
I spent the night at a hotel hanging in the pool with my sisters and gabbing.

That Thanksgiving is my most memorable for one simple reason:
I was with family – the ones I grew up with! How special it was for me 
to enjoy their company and relive the happy feeling of togetherness
that we had in our youth. How I look forward to doing it again sometime!

Nov. 10, 2019 for Regina Riddle's Thanksgiving Memory Poetry Contest
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