Being thankful, giving thanks for my life, is on my mind, of course, at this time of year. Memory serves up so many family traditions and happy experiences for me to revisit. Do you find memories of family traditions rising to the surface for you at this time of year? I remember fondly how my father always stuffed, cooked and served the family turkey.

Mamie is a favorite family figure whose memory survives in me like a warm Thanksgiving fire in the fireplace. She was my great maternal aunt. More than that, Mamie was like an ideal grandmother to me. Although many Thanksgivings have passed without her presence, I believe in the power of her storytelling to feed my spirit. And I believe one of the great ways that we take good care of each other is to share stories.

I am realizing that, of my family of origin, this Thanksgiving I am the only one left of four siblings. My parents are gone as well. But my stories are alive.

In the living room of the family house there were two large armchairs separated by a small table with a lamp. They were arranged at a ninety-degree angle to the left of the fireplace. I would sit in one of the chairs with Mamie, from the time I was a toddler until we moved away when I was thirteen.

One time when I was in my late teens, we spent Thanksgiving with Mamie. It was a difficult time for my parents. We had moved from Texas and Dad found a job working for a vet. The family car had shrunk in size and Dad had bought a small Hillman. We drove to Staten Island crowded in this small car with the cooked turkey in the pan on someone’s lap. I don’t know where we put the vegetables!

Mamie always wore dresses. She wore size 14 and ½. She was short and I imagine that the half had to do with the fact the dress was shorter. Maybe it was shorter in the middle. When I was a child, my mother would shop for Mamie and ask for size 14 and ½. When I was old enough to shop, I never saw a dress that was half sized. Her dresses always had a matching narrow belt, and I remember the texture of the fabric. Mamie’s dresses were always soft and silky.

Mamie inspired my passion for fairy tales. Even today I’m interested in fairy tales from a psychological and societal point of view. Perhaps Mamie had qualities of the fairy godmother for me. She introduced me to the concept of magic and the world of the imagination. This has made up so much of my internal life. I wouldn’t have wanted to live my life without this enrichment.

And I hope you are comforted this year at your table throughout the holiday season by remembering an important figure who has been with you in the past.

This is cross-posted from Jane Knox’s blog The Ageless Goddess.