I know other countries have a Thanksgiving Holiday of some kind. Here it is celebrated on the last Thursday of November. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, turnips are part of the traditional feast. We eat too much and then have pie for dessert. Each culture that has come to America adds their own spin on that.

DISCLAIMER: I am not cooking this year, but will make a pie or 3. Can I exchange them for….never mind.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

NOVEMBER - Memories and Pie

It was a fall tradition at the CBI, Which unit would get stuck working the Thanksgiving? Unit heads would meet and literally see who drew the short straw. When Lisbon came back from that meeting in early October her unit knew from her face they would be spending it at work. Cho immediately called his mother who offered to re arrange when dinner was served. He told her he would just have a plate when he got home. Overtime was a given on Thanksgiving. Early in the day wasn't too bad, but by the end of the day, after everyone had spent too much time with relatives they didn't like, and drank too much, well….

Lisbon, and Rigsby each usually spent the holiday with people they had worked with over the years. Jane tried to avoid it like he did all holidays. Van Pelt alone was upset, because she was hoping to fly home that weekend. But in true Van Pelt form, she went along to get along. No one even knew she was upset.

Thanksgiving morning saw them all sitting at their desks quietly. All except for Van Pelt. By 9:30, even Cho was noticing. Rigsby looked like a kicked dog, so clearly, he didn't know. Jane was pretending to sleep, so he was useless. Finally Cho asked Lisbon, who merely smiled and said, " Yeah, she had something to do. She'll be in later."

Finally, at 12:30, Lisbon told Rigsby and Cho to go to the parking lot and help Grace. Cho looked annoyed, but followed the almost sprinting Rigsby to the elevator. His face was much happier when he came back up. In the arms of the 3 agents was boxes and bags that all smelled amazing. It would have been hard to figure out what made Rigsby happier, Grace's presence or that of the Turkey in a roasting pan he was so carefully holding.

In 10 minutes, the kitchen had been set up with a Thanksgiving feast that rivaled a Norman Rockwell painting. Jane of course did not look surprised. He knew when Van Pelt didn't appear, something like this was in the works. As they gathered together, Cho asked Lisbon, "You knew?"

"Yes. As of this morning, Agent Van Pelt was on a special assignment to do research for the unit. If we have to deal with the after affects of one of these meals, it seemed smart to understand it firsthand"

Looking over the real dishes, cloth napkins and even centerpiece, no one was inclined to argue the point. After a toast of sparkling cider, they all dug in. Grace was pleased to see everyone enjoy the meal. She had done all the side dishes and baking the night before. All that was left this morning was a small turkey and homemade gravy.

"We could talk about what we are grateful for, or maybe share a Thanksgiving memory. That's what we do every year."

Clearly, Grace was missing being with her family more than she let on. For most of their little group, family holidays were not happy times, but each one decided to give Van Pelt something in return for her hard work.

Lisbon pulled something out of her childhood, before it all fell apart. "When we were really little, my mother would tell me that her cousin Mike was a cop in New York. She had a picture of him in uniform. My brothers and I were told to watch every second of the parade very carefully in case they showed him. I realized later it was a way to keep us out of her hair for a few hours as she cooked. Cousin Mike was a Lieutenant in Queens and hadn't worked the parade in years as it turned out." They all chuckled at Lisbon's mother's cleverness.

Cho looked around and said, " Korean Thanksgiving is a little different, We had some of this, but also had Korean food. I was in the service before I realized that not everyone had Kimshee on Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving I remember, I was really little, maybe 3 or so. I was playing on the floor, and the door opened and there was a man in a uniform with crutches standing there. Suddenly, my mother and aunts and grandmother started screaming. I had no idea what was going on. It turned out that my Uncle Kim had surprised them by coming home from the Marines 2 weeks early. They didn't even know he had gotten hurt. I wore his hat all day" Suddenly embarrassed at having shared so much, Cho took another piece of pie and started eating.

When Jane began to speak, they all wondered how hard it would be for him to discuss a holiday, Would he speak finally of his wife and daughter? "As a child, I traveled a lot. I can remember being in a parking lot of a mall when I was about 5. There was a helicopter and everyone was yelling because they were going to give something away. Suddenly, the crowd started running and screaming. It turned out some idiot radio station, instead of giving away frozen turkeys, decided to drop live ones from the helicopter, It only took a couple before they finally realized turkeys can't fly. When they landed, the rest of the live turkeys escaped. I remember wanting one as a pet."

They all looked at Rigsby, who was still eating. He scoured his brain for a memory to share. His was not the kind of childhood that had given him Kodak moments worth repeating. In a panic, he looked across the table over the most amazing meal he had ever eaten at Van Pelt, blushed and said simply, "Today. This is the best Thanksgiving I have ever had." He ducked his head when he realized how that sounded. Inwardly, he beat himself up. What a moron, he thought. Not only did he not have any really story to share, he had just acted like a fool again over Van Pelt.

Despite her calm demeanor, Grace blushed. Part of her wanted to run over and hug the big man. He really was the sweetest thing ever. Too bad she couldn't have him for dessert. She banished the thought and decided to cover it with her own story. "For a while, my mother was obsessed with Martha Stewart. She had every book and read all the recipes. The year I was 13, she pulled out all the stops on Thanksgiving, She copied one of the Thanksgiving feasts in the book. Every detail was perfect. She shopped and prepared for weeks. The house was decorated to the hilt. We had to get all dressed up, she was going to take pictures of every moment." She stopped, seeing them all assume she also wanted to be Martha Stewart. "I was 13 and thought it was stupid and of course told her so. So she assigned me to take the pictures. It was an amazing meal, something right out of a magazine. Now you all know that my dad was a football coach?" At their nods, she continued. "Of course, football is huge on Thanksgiving. My dad, my uncles and brother did nothing but talk about it. Finally, my mother called everyone to the table. We all sat, prayed and started to eat. Suddenly, my dad and uncles picked up their perfectly set places and headed to the living room. The game was on. First she tried calling them back, no luck. I was sent in to explain how important this was to her. No luck. Then my Grandma yelled at them. No dice. My mother finally got them back to the table"

"What did she do?" Lisbon and Rigsby asked at the same time.

"She was very calm I remember. She went to the garage and took a sledgehammer and gave the TV one good whack. She put down the hammer, looked at my dad and said 'Dinner is served in the dining room' I don't think I ever seen those men move that fast before or since.. That Christmas, daddy gave her a smaller sledgehammer painted gold she kept in the kitchen corner. She got him a new TV."

Grace looked around at the slightly stunned faces of her team. That story never failed to shock people. "Women in my family are big on actions. More pie anyone?"

At that moment, they all saw the core of steel under the calm, empathetic rookie. Jane was amused. Cho and Lisbon were suitably impressed. Rigsby was incredibly turned on.

This is going to be a long author's note!

They say you should write what you know. In this installment, I have done just that.

Lisbon's story is based upon my sisters and sisters-in-law having my nieces and nephews watch the parade for years for a glimpse of my husband. Even when they knew he had the day off!

Cho's story is based upon my dad's earliest memory of a big man in a what he later realized was a dough-boy's hat at the door. It was during WWI.

Jane's story is an homage to my favorite bit of classic TV. Go see if you can find the turkey drop on WKRP in Cincinnati on the internet. It's worth it.

I just made up Grace's story. My mother would frequently threaten to do just that to the TV, as has countless women through the years.

Your Thoughts??