Being Thankful

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm getting ready to do some cooking for the big meal tomorrow. But I don't have to clean house for company, or even get out the nice dishes for our family's meal, because we're all going to the Mooneys' house for Thanksgiving dinner.

Let me back up a bit...Curt & SuEllen Mooney moved to Houston in 1996 and started coming to South Main. They had moved here from Louisville, and SuEllen is a music teacher, so we started getting to know them right away. It turns out that they grew up in western Kentucky, in the same little town where Don Waggener grew up, and SuEllen even went to the high school prom with Don once. So we had lots of common ground, and our kids are very close in age. The friendship really was sealed when SuEllen brought her son, Jason, to Ridgecrest, and she spent several summers working on the Crestridge staff with me. We've had some great adventures and road trips over these last 11 years! Curt is Ben's favorite football/basketball-watching buddy, even if Curt's loyalty is slightly misplaced (he roots for Louisville!). SuEllen and I stand next to each other in handbells, and she sings in the choir with Ben and me, and we're in the same Sunday School class.

The funniest thing is that several years ago people started getting us confused with one another. They would compliment SuEllen on her oboe playing, or they would ask me how Jason was liking being in the Navy. We're always having folks ask us if we're sisters, or even twins! So I've decided to claim SuEllen as my long-lost twin sister. You can judge for yourself; is the resemblance that strong?




Okay, let me get back to being thankful. Many years ago we decided to have our Thanksgiving meal together, and several times we've gone to the Mooneys'house. We've actually had it at our house 2 or 3 times. By this time SuEllen knows me pretty well, and when I offered to have everybody here this year, she very graciously offered her house as well. You see, for some reason, the idea of having folks over for a "formal" meal, even if those folks are like family to us, makes me get all nervous and cranky. And it turns out that SuEllen really enjoys setting the table with the good china and having the commotion at her place (plus, her daughter Andrea is extremely helpful with the whole process!). Their house is bigger and better arranged for having a bunch of people over. The only advantages that we can offer here are more on-street parking and a bigger TV screen to watch football games!

Anyway, today I'll be preparing my share of the meal, and tomorrow we'll feast at Curt & SuEllen's house. I'm THANKFUL for a friend who enjoys entertaining and who doesn't keep score of whose turn it is to have the crowd over!