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It's that time of the year that causes so many emotions, feelings, memories, sometimes good and sometimes otherwise. When you are going through all of it with a chronic illness like MS, it gets often too easy to over do it, or to dwell too much on the past. Unfortunately, sometimes it leads to a worsening of our MS symptoms due to the added stress of the time.

Having just come out of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some of my good news with my friends at MS MuSings. I did dinner again this year! It's the first time in several years I've attempted to do that, but I wanted to. I've been having a good stretch, not perfect by any means, but I've been cooking some again, and I realized once more how much I missed doing the Thanksgiving meal for my family.

I started early, fixed my own special cranberry relish that's so like my Grandmother's used to be, and I did it four days ahead. It takes some doing with a food processor and the clean up, but I did it, and I cleaned it up, too.

Two days ahead I baked the cornbread for the dressing, and prepared the sweet potatoes dish, I even chopped up the celery and onions for the dressing. I stored it all away, and again, cleaned it all up. I set the dining room table with the real china that hasn't see the light for several years.

On the day of the meal, I slept till I woke up without an alarm and got right to work. The turkey was in the oven and the dressing prepared. I ran through the dishes, did the finishing touches on the table and the food, but found myself completely out of energy. I was smart though, and I sat down and put up my feet and let Rog peel and cook the white potatoes. When son Mike and his Natalie arrived, I let Mike mash the potatoes without an argument, and by the time Emilie and her crew arrived, I had my legs again enough to walk to the table and sit.

The meal was wonderful, the turkey moist and the dishes the kids brought were a nice addition. Emilie had brought the pies, which she's been making from my own recipe for the years I haven't been cooking. They were good, also!

I did it! It took some advance planning, but I did it! I let the others clean up the dishes and didn't protest. Natalie and I entertained the kids.

By the time they all left we were talking about Christmas, deciding to make the food of the nontraditional type, and it seems looking forward again! How very nice!

I wanted to tell you, to share. Things I though were gone forever weren't after all!

I wish all of you the sweetest of Holiday seasons this year! I know mine is starting out to be just that!

Reach Car by email to comment: reynolds@psci.net

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