A "Norman Rockwell" moment

Yesterday I shared Thanksgiving dinner at the home of Betty and Eugene Doyle, known to the family as "Mammaw" and "Pappaw," here in Knoxville. The meal was wonderful, as it always is in that home, and I am deeply grateful to them for inviting me to share in this holiday celebration with them.

This picture of the gathered family group captures one of those events that I've heard repeated countless times in my years of attending these celebrations. The picture shows Morgan, the little girl about mid-way down the table on the left, taking a peek during the prayer as the picture was taken. (You may need to click on the picture to display it in a larger view, in order to see it.) However, the exchange afterwards between Morgan's sister Madison, on the left with her head turned away from the camera, and her mother was one that has been conducted at other family gatherings, with different participants of course, many times before. So often, in fact, that it is almost a part of the tradition.

Madison said to Morgan, "you had your eyes open." Her mother, Cheryl, said to Madison, "the only way you could have known that was because you had your eyes open too." Some things just never change, and let's hope they never do.

- posted by Perry @ 10:20 AM