I don’t know who this Mr. Wiki is, but WOW does he know a lot of STUFF.  And boy does he also link to a lot of other stuff that he knows, which is hugely distracting but oh well.  Beats doing my own research.




For instance, “the laying on of hands is a religious practice found throughout the world in varying forms. In Christian churches, this practice is used as both a symbolic and formal method of invoking the Holy Spirit during baptisms, healing services, blessings, and ordination of priests, ministers, elders, deacons, and other church officers, along with a variety of other church sacraments and holy ceremonies.”

Furthermore, “In a larger context, the Christian tradition of the laying on of hands has its roots in Jewish beliefs and practices. In biblical times the laying on of hands was an action which conferred blessing or authority. To wit, Isaac blessed his son Jacob by laying hands (Genesis 27), and Aaron and the High Priests who succeeded him transferred the sins of the Children of Israel to a sacrificial goat (Leviticus 16:21). Finally, in the Old Testament priests were ordained by the laying on of hands.”

And as if that weren’t all, “the laying on of hands, known as “the Divine Touch,” was performed by kings in England and France, and was believed to cure scrofula, a name given to a number of skin diseases and if you didn’t have something to be thankful for two days ago, you can now be thankful that you don’t have a wicked case of scrofula. The rite of the king’s touch began in France with Robert II the Pious, but legend later attributed the practice to Clovis as Merovin
gian founder of the Holy Roman kingdom, and Edward the Confessor in England. The belief continued to be common throughout the Middle Ages but began to die out with the Enlightenment. Queen Anne was the last British monarch to claim to possess this divine ability, though the Jacobite pretenders also claimed to do so. The French monarchy continued to believe and perform the act up until the French Revolution. The act was usually performed at large ceremonies, often at Easter or other holy days…”  such as the weekend after Thanksgiving when everyone is in town and around and available for lunches at the Continental.


The laying on of hands, for me, is as spiritual experience as all of the aforementioned, and has the added bonus of not including the transfer of sins to a sacrificial goat.  And anyway, that goat would be lucky because my friends are cool.  Any self-respecting sacrificial goat would be LUCKY to get their cloven hooves on my friends’ sins. 

The first part of the laying on of hands involves high priestesses who work here at Terme Di Aroma, and whose techniques for the laying on of hands also do not involve any sacrificial goats, but rather hot towels and strong hands.  This place has won awards and accolades but mostly you should just know that as far as temples of healing go, this one is a keeper.  I felt that my own holy spirit was quite invoked.  Or maybe I was hearing the background CD of Gregorian chants.  Still.

The second part of the laying on of hands involves the holy sacrament of the Bloody Mary and the conferring of love onto those I haven’t seen for many months, many of whom are actually two people because of the miracle of mommyness.  Because these women are, indeed, blessed and smart and get IT, and also much cooler than lots of other women, they recognize the doctrinal import of the Bloody Mary sacrament and ALSO can balance the value of the sacament with the sacrifices of maternity by asking for just a teensy bit of vodka instead of a whole shot.

These people I love are absolutely divine, and laying my hands on them and feeling the gift of their hands on me, as we drink and eat and laugh our asses off and hug and squeeze and hold hands, is the perfect manifestation of the healing power of the laying on of hands. 

As an added blessing this year, and also still without abusing goats, it just so happened that my niece was working at the Holy Place of Cocktails Suitable for Mid-Day and Comfort Food and so I got to lay my hands on her gorgeous self, also.

I am well and truly blessed.

TWGH is in charge of table/bar setup and arrangement.  He didn’t do the flowers (although he could – he’s good at that, too.  His mom did them this year).  If I had set the table it would look like a “before” photo from one of those Home and Garden channel shows that features people with lower than average IQs trying to decorate their houses and the resulting mismatched chaos starring milk crates in supporting roles as bookshelves and faux flowers jammed awkwardly into jelly glasses. 




Oysters Rockefeller.  Have I mentioned that my in -laws are Merfolk?




Doesn’t look too dry from here, so that’s good.  Up close.  Not so much.  Dry as the freaking Sahara.



Best part of Thanksgiving:  pie for breakfast the next day.


Now what?

The BDB Traditional Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Soup

The amount of bouillon suggested below can be adjusted according to the size of the turkey. 

Part One
Pick carcass clean of loose meat; set the meat aside
Break up large bones and place all bones in large stock pot, include some skin
Add to pot:  2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped onions, 2 chopped stalks celery, 1 whole bay leaf,
2 tablespoons dried tarragon, 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried parsley, 4 chicken bullion cubes, and one beef bullion cube
Cover the pot contents with cold water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 1-2 hours with lid ajar. Remove from heat and let cool.

Part two
Skim fat from surface. Strain the broth, and set aside.
Carefully pick any remaining meat from the bones and add meat to the broth and discard bones.  (Save and dry wishbone for making a wish later).
Add the cooked vegetables to the broth and bring soup back to a low boil. Add 1 cup of rice and cook until rice is tender. Drain one can of corn and add to pot.
Correct seasoning with salt and pepper and additional bullion, if needed for flavor.
——-


While the turkey soup is on the stove, I recommend you do what I do, steal your father’s New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Wall Street Journal from his driveway and settle down on the couch.  Horizontal is best for maximum breakfast pie digestion.

My Thanksgiving table thus far this year.*

I’m pretty sure she wasn’t thinking about setting the alarm for 3 am to get to the shops by 4 for the Black Friday
Doorbusters.

Thanks Sarah Josepha Hale, and may you all have a strengthened public harmony of feeling.

*I swear to you on my Thanksgiving turkey that this is not even my house. 
**Thanks also to the WRH History Consultancy…hope the pecan pie is to everyone’s liking.