My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O’Connor. They say it is a great community and so friendly. Patty recently told me about her Thanksgiving dinner last year at her favorite granddaughter’s house. The young lady had married a military man in July, moved into her first house in August and cooked her first holiday meal last November. Seventeen family members were expected for dinner. Patty suggested to her granddaughter Ashley that she might be taking on a big job for her first holiday meal, but the young lady said she could handle it. Patty had her doubts, so she planned to arrive a little early. As soon as she arrived at the house her fears were confirmed. She saw no dressing for the turkey, and when she asked, Ashley told her that the turkey was already stuffed when she bought it, she could see the little packet inside. Oops. She saw white potatoes and sweet potatoes boiling in the same pot, and Ashley said that it would save her time to cook them together, and she would separate them before mashing. Funny tasting. The tea bags in the lovely glass pitcher had burst open and the tea was full of tea leaves. The green beans were crunchy, the pecan pie was salty, the rolls were soggy and the tub of whipped cream was frozen right next to the pumpkin pie in Ashley’s clean, neat freezer. As Patty walked through the planned menu with Ashley, the young wife was close to tears. Oh, my goodness, she said. You’re right, I can’t do this. It’s too hard. Grandma Patty hugged her close, laughed a little and told her, don’t you know, that’s why I came a day early. I’ll help you and we will get it all perfect. They ate an interesting and less than perfect dinner and then they got busy. They worked and worked, and laughed over some of the horrors of Ashley’s cooking. They stayed up all night, but they recreated the meal that Ashley had planned. In the end, his family and hers sat together at a beautiful table and enjoyed a delicious and lovely meal. No one ever knew that her Grandma had given her a whirlwind cooking lesson on Thanksgiving eve; they just knew that they were all together with lots to be thankful for. This year, Ashley will be at Grandma Patty’s house helping her with the family dinner, but morning sickness may interrupt the schedule. Ashley and Grandma Patty are waiting for the perfect moment in this years’ family celebration to share that news with the rest of the family. I bet nobody cares if the dinner is less than perfect, they will all just be so excited.