Sunday Family Dinners

If there’s one thing I always warmly remember from my early childhood it was our big family Sunday dinners @ MeMaw Looper’s. For the first few years of my life very early on Sunday morning (we lived right down the cow pastured hill from her and Grandpa and right beside D.E. Looper Grocery) – I could smell the pans of fried chicken and biscuits from her house before we left for church. We were always the last to arrive (Dad was the long winded Preacher son) I could hear the laughter and passionate shouting of cousins, aunts and uncles as I ran up the pasture path to her back kitchen screen door–I would always do a passing glance @ the chicken coop seeing which of her chickens made the ‘cut’ on Saturday–noted that she did the ‘deed’ of 4-6 each Saturday…the whole ‘deed’ including plucking and cleaning and the # depended whether she was frying for 20+ Looper’s or if it was dumplings Sunday. Weaving my way through the crowd, I’d always find her perched at her favorite chair at the table and run right into her big enveloping hug – she would always have a wishbone and warm biscuit for me wrapped securely in her apron pocket. Her eyes, her laughter, her smile and her hugs were all life-affirming and sent the message that just us being there made her happy. Good food was the lure. Attendance was mandatory. But Sunday was more than just dinner–it was when family time held still. And life was good. Miss her still – remembering Christine Edens Looper this day. Love you MeMaw! #thankfulandblessed