One of the great traditions in the McGhie household was the Sunday dinner. Whether we had guests or not, Sunday dinner was a ritual that brought our family close together. Most of the Sunday dinners over the years had the same menu or some variation of it: Roast, mashed potatoes, corn from Grandpa Charlie's garden, jello, often some other vegetable and rolls with homemade freezer jam. When we got home from church Dad would cut the roast with an electric knife. The dog would get the scraps and I think it was Rambo or Zeke who would whine and howl when he heard the electric knife, knowing that the meat scraps were soon to follow.
If you called our house during dinner and asked for one of the kids, you might be subject to having the phone passed around to everyone at the table (except the person you wanted to speak to). Each member of the family or guest would say in order "Oh you wanted to talk to Lisa? Sorry, I will get her."
The dinner conversation usually revolved around telling and re-telling stories, jokes or generally having a good laugh. Here are a few samples:
Some guests are at our house for the first time. Dad asks Brent to pray. Brent gives him a puzzled look and says "pray?" Then as if he realizes something important Brent says "Oh yeah, we have guests over. OK, I'll pray."
Marty's girlfriend comes for Sunday dinner with her mom. Her mom asks innocently "Why do they call you 'Mirv'?" Before anyone can respond, Jeff quickly says "Mirv the Perv!"
Grandpa Mac devouring the last of the year's freezer jam spoonfull after spoonfull. From then on anyone who put too generous a portion of jam on his roll was called "Grandpa Mac".
Would-be spouses were not ready to join the family until they had survived a few Sunday dinners. The first Sunday dinner for a girlfriend or boyfriend was a special event, the test of all tests. Younger siblings would get excited about the prospects of an older brother bringing a girlfriend home for the first time, like a professional athlete mentally prepares for a big game.
So next time you are at a McGhie Sunday dinner you can appreciate the fact that you are continuing a long and rich tradition.
