Although my husband's family and mine are on the East Coast, we didn't feel alone on holidays because we often celebrated them with the Karltons. Thanksgivig at the Karltons was a special time. Jan was a great cook, so a meal at her house was a real treat. She did a lot of taking care of people, and she always made an effort to reach out to friends who might not have other family to celebrate with. We would go to the house to hang out, talk, and smell the turkey cooking until it was time to eat.

Jan made the turkey, dressing, gravy, and a couple of pies. She often insisted on making pearl onions in white sauce as well, though she acknowledged that not many people liked them. To her, that was part of Thanksgiving. On a couple of occasions, I remember Phil offering a sort of blessing before the meal during which he said we had a lot to be thankful for because we were all healthy and doing well in our jobs and in the other parts of our lives. Richard and I are thankful that we had those times with them; Thanksgiving will never be the same.

-- Nancy Teater