Family Time in Rusk

For many years now there has been a tradition of heading to Rusk for Thanksgiving. My grandparents live in Rusk and as kids we loved heading to the woods to be with family during this time. Now that my parents have their own property there, we enjoy heading to their house for Thanksgiving as well. We don't get to see many of our cousins at Christmas but most of us still head to Rusk to enjoy the woods and family at Thanksgiving. As the Cotten clan has grown, we now have to eat our big meal in the large garage at my parents or grandparents, complete with decorated tables of course. We also get to eat the food we enjoy as a Cotten clan, which some of our new family members don't exactly love...but we love them anyway! Thanksgiving in Rusk usually brings out the gumbo, fried fish, shrimp, squirrel and of course blackberry cobbler. We also have a fried turkey for the traditionalists in the family! There is just something about being in the woods during this season that has become such a part of our family. My boys know that they get to put on their camo, go hunting and play in the woods and don't ever want them to lose that. Jeremy got his first deer this year and Austin was so excited to watch all the events that took place after that...the "dressing" of the deer, the meat processing, etc. He was full of questions, just like he always is, and wanted to be in the middle of it all. Now we get to enjoy having ground meat, sausage, tenderloin and back strap steaks in the freezer...(thanks Dad for helping us cut it up all the right way!) God has blessed us with a deep heritage and a long line of Godly family members. Thank you Father for all the blessings you have given to us with our family! May we always be thankful and aware of those many blessings.