Aunt Fanny's Food Feasts

For several years when our kids were little, every Thanksgiving Day, we all loaded up and headed for Aunt Fanny’s house. New faces and lots of food were big attractions. There was much for which to be thankful. Just like myself, I suspect that everyone thought that Aunt Fanny's sweet potatoes were the best that we had ever tasted. I suppose that everyone had no doubt that her mustard greens were the best in all America. Who could imagine anybody’s ribs, roast, or chicken being any better than hers? Yes, we were certain that we could not see wings on her biscuit roles; but because they were so soft and fluffy, we also knew that if one did not consume them rather readily, they would fly away. Doubtless, everybody knew Aunt Fanny the cook. But the real question is whether or not we got to know Aunt Fanny the person. If for any reason, and I can name a few myself, anyone thought that the Thanksgiving gatherings were about the food, they, as did I at times, completely missed what Aunt Fanny was all about. In time, that is, after her great and tasty food was clearly digested, I realized that she was all about people. Our dear aunt was indeed gourmet, but she was not about making us happy about her culinary abilities. She was about making us believe that we could do anything God designed us to do; and to be all that He purposed us to be. Aunt Fanny was demonstrating to us that she learned to prepare many great dishes from scratch the same way she rose up from a very humble beginning and achieved prosperity in both material and spiritual ways. She nearly started out in life from scratch. So making much from little was second nature with her. Those ‘massive never out of food gatherings’ were not about the turkeys, or the hams, or the chickens, and not even about the ribs. I tell you, it was not about the food. It was all about the family, the friendships, and the loving. Yes! Aunt Fanny was about the fellowship and the caring. If we had thought that food was the centerpiece, we truly missed the real Fanny. 01242013 cj PS Contest, Thanksgiving Day, Nayda Ivette Negron