We had our first family gathering in months! It was awesome. The occasion was Labor Day and my husband, Johnny’s, birthday. I decided it was time for taco night and homemade ice cream. I looked to the oldest generation to help me get it done and, as usual, they rocked it! I’m so blessed that my mom (89 years young) and my aunt are still up for a party anytime I call on them. This wasn’t as big as our family nights can get. I think we had 32 that night, so manageable. 

The food was the “main event” of the night. My mom was raised in southern California which she claims both trained and spoiled her to good Mexican food. When she makes tacos, she is likely to drive all over town until she finds a corn tortilla she likes. She’s not crazy about this new “street taco” size tortilla. She says it takes her too long to fry those little things and not enough “bang for your buck.” So there you have it. She did just that for this party. She went to three stores to get enough of the right size tortilla. Now for the meat. She’s a little picky there too. She browns the meat, seasons it, then adds flour to it to absorb grease and hold the meat together. After the meat is ready she puts a little meat in a tortilla and then puts the whole things in a small pan to fry. Once it has fried a few seconds, she will flap it over on itself to form the taco. I think that night she fried 70 tacos. (I know. She’s nearly a professional! My aunt helped as well.) Plus, she did all of this starting about 45 minutes early so, by the time, family arrived, the tacos were warming in the oven. Plus, plus she had already made rice and beans, also warming in the oven. Plus, plus, plus, she had made homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. (What can I say, I’m blessed!)

So, what did I do for this meal? Well, I cleaned my house (pretty big deal), including the back porch (real big deal). Bought all the food, drinks, and paper supplies. Made guacamole, which everyone loves.  Decorated (Okay, not a huge deal. Just put a Mexican hat on every table and called it a day!) Also, I prepped all the taco trimmings from diced tomatoes to onions. What did others do? Our family is amazing at “bringing something” to the meal. So, from my niece, well, my nephew-in-law, we had roasted Queso (yummy). From my sister’s mother in law, we had a fruit tray. From Korie, more fruit. From my aunt, a chocolate sheet cake. From my other aunt, more chips. From our good friends, more guacamole.  From my sister in law, her delicious fall Chex, pretzel, candy corn mixture. So, you can see, we had plenty of food. 

Well, all of this to say, it’s time to get families back together. It’s been a long year of staying safe and separate. It’s still time to be safe. All of our family has had limited exposure to other people. A few have had covid-19, but have recovered with no problems. We still don’t get in each other’s faces. We’re mindful to keep our distance even when in the same house. We sit outside as much as possible. We wash our hands and wear our masks in public. We’re still being careful, but we’re stepping out into the water a little now. 

It’s hard to believe this has been going on for so long now and an end isn’t really in sight, but God is still in control. So, make some taco, put on a hat and celebrate. God is good!