Faith, Friends, Food, and Fun

Two events signal Christmas week for me. I love them both, and this was that week. Christmas week is a whirlwind of activity for everyone, but there are times that allow us to sit back, take a deep breath, and count our blessings. The events I’ll share with you below will enable me to do that.

For many years, our church has adopted families in the Rose’s Creek community in the Appalachian region of Eastern Tennessee, just below the border with Kentucky. Coal mining once supported the people of Rose’s Creek, but when coal stopped coming out of the mines, prosperity disappeared with it. The families endure hard times with strong backs and a stiff upper lip, but there is little in reserve for significant Christmas gifts. We try to fill in.

Last Sunday, we met after church to load our congregation’s gifts donated by families. We filled nine cars and my truck with wrapped gifts based on a list for each family sent to us by a coordinator with the Community Center. Mark, one of our ministers, led us in prayer before we departed for the one-and-a-half-hour drive to Claiborne County, Tennessee. We follow a narrow road into a hollow unchanged since the last coal rolled out of the mines.

The Community Center Director greeted us and led us to the large room where we assembled the gifts for each adopted family. With plenty of help, the unloading took maybe twenty minutes at most. When we completed the delivery, the director shared some cookies and snapped a group picture with my camera. Everyone wished her a Merry Christmas and left quietly. I always leave wishing we could do more.

The second item on our agenda for this week is the annual Meat Loaf dinner Helen and I host for our friends—Helen’s gal-pals and their husbands. I introduced the group to everyone a few weeks ago when we spent a weekend in the mountains.

We have observed this event for ten years now. When we got together to eat meatloaf for the first time, I doubt that I would ever consider it to become tradition, but I do make a mean meatloaf, and I love these folks enough to take great care in the preparation of the featured entrée. I also make sure that there is enough gravy to smother everything if it turns out less than adequate.

Helen attacks Christmas decorating with a frenzy of activity, beginning with the tree. This year she used a bowl she made in her pottery class for a centerpiece on our coffee table, featuring a candle and some ornaments we found in a box in the attic. They belonged to Helen’s Mom. I thought it looked very nice and wanted to share it here.

I prepare meatloaf in two stages. Stage one is chopping and cooking the vegetables and then cooling in the refrigerator overnight. There is a lot of chopping involved, which takes about an hour. The next day I add the vegetables to a blend of ground chuck and pork sausage, spices, eggs, breadcrumbs, and heavy cream and mix by hand…the fun part. I shape it into a loaf and place it in the oven at 350 for about an hour and a half or when the meat thermometer tells me it is 160 degrees. Next, I take it out and bow for a couple of minutes.

Our group always has a White Elephant gift exchange, and this year we did more laughing than exchanging. Tom got the biggest laugh when he opened a stuffed “poop” emoji that walked when wound up and made impolite sounds. We’re still laughing over that one.

This year, Posey received a life-sized birthday card and Priscilla gave everyone a large Nutcracker tin filled with chocolate truffles. They were delicious. A few days before his big date, our ladies sang an early happy birthday song to Townsend. His actual birthday is on Christmas Eve. We lingered long at the table before posing for a group picture. Placed on top of our Christmas Tree is a Red Hat in memory of Bob and Ralph, two great guys we lost from our group all too soon.

Helen and I consider ourselves richly blessed. We count our blessings through our faith, our families, and the fun we’ve had with great friends sharing great food. We remain ever grateful for all the above. What else is there?

Merry Christmas to all…we’re Easin’ Along.