Thursday, November 7, 2019
Civic minded and patriotic indeed! I've been thinking about Aunt Ann and Uncle Gordon’s Fourth of July BBQs. Their beautiful backyard would be transformed into a festival, a celebration of things Aunt Ann loved! Family, friends, country, community, good food and Uncle Gordon at the grill. There were tables, tents, music and people from all parts of Aunt Ann’s diverse life. Those BBQs were the best! The hamburgers that came off the grill were huge and delicious - symbolic, I now understand, of love and generosity. Those patties were Aunt Ann’s and Uncle Gordon’s own recipe. You weren’t getting them anywhere else! I’m not real proud of this, but one year I had the audacity to bring FROZEN TURKEY BURGERS to Aunt Ann and Uncle Gordon’s Fourth of July party. What was I thinking? Anyway, I walked up to Aunt Ann and Uncle Gordon and asked them if I could put my sorry frozen turkey burgers on the grill next to their legendary, glistening, hamburgers. I can only imagine what they were thinking! But their answer is what I remember the most. They didn’t hesitate. The smile never left their faces. “Of course,” is what they said. And they made room on the grill for my sorry burgers.There was not an ounce of judgment. The point is: On that day, and every day, they accepted me for who I was. When I think about it today, that was Aunt Ann and Uncle Gordon being who they were: Generous and accepting. Thank you, Aunt Ann and Uncle Gordon, for the BBQs. And, more importantly, thank you for the lessons you imparted and the grace you demonstrated. You are missed!
