By Second Thanksgiving with Ida. She is sixteen months and she sat in her high chair at the Clarke Thanksgiving table and ate small pieces of everything I put in front of her, including the sweet potato, including the cornbread dressing, including a small piece of the fried chicken which she approved of with the six-expression face. Tyler said: she is your daughter. I said I know.
Marcus said grace again. This time he said: we are grateful for the ones who came to this table and changed it for the better and for the small one who came this year and changed everything. Ida looked up at the sound of her name in grace and then went back to the sweet potato. She is seventeen months. She does not understand grace. She will. I grew up without anyone saying my name in grace. She is going to grow up as someone whose name is in the grace.
I cried on the way home. Not sad crying. The kind of crying that happens when something is so completely right that the only appropriate response is to let it come out. Tyler did not say anything. He just drove and let me cry and then when it was over he said: good year. I said: yes. He said: next year will be good too. I said: yes. I believe that. I have evidence for it. That is a new thing, having evidence for something good coming.
The small Bright Beginnings Daycare in the small downtown Prattville is the small workplace. The small toddler-room teacher role (ages 18-36 months). The small daycare-worker-salary plus the small fiancé-Cole’s small carpenter-paycheck is the small two-income engaged-couple budget. The small wedding-saving has been the small two-year-project.
Tyler Clarke (the small fiancé, 29, diesel-mechanic-from-Millbrook) works at a small trucking-company. The small wedding is planned for October 2026 with Gloria walking Savannah down the aisle. The small marriage will be the small first-stable-adult-relationship Savannah has had. The small foster-care upbringing means the small family-of-origin had been the small unstable-shape.
The small foster-care-history: Savannah went into the small Alabama-foster-care system at age six after the small mother’s incarceration and the small father’s absence. The small seven-foster-placements between infancy and age sixteen. The small last placement (Gloria and James Martin in Prattville, who became the small forever-parents) since age fourteen. The small Martin-foster-parents continued to be the small only-parents until James died in 2024 at 77 from a heart-attack mowing the lawn.
The small self-taught-Southern-cooking is the small kitchen-identity. The small no-grandmother-recipes-passed-down meant the small YouTube-and-cookbook-self-teaching from age sixteen onward. The small fried chicken, the small biscuits, the small mac-and-cheese, the small banana pudding, the small sweet tea are the small staples.
The small Gloria-Martin kitchen-mentorship (Gloria is the small foster-mom-now-mom) has been the small adult-cooking-development since the small fourteen-year-old. The small Gloria-Sunday-dinners-with-Savannah-cooking-now are the small weekly-rhythm since James passed. The small Gloria-recipes (Black-Southern-comfort-food the small chain of Gloria’s mother and grandmother) are the small heritage-by-adoption.
The small Prattville-small-town-community is the small social-context. The small First Baptist Church congregation is the small church-family. The small daycare-coworkers are the small adjacent-friend-network. The small Martin-family (Gloria, James who passed in 2024, plus the small current-foster-child Destiny age 6 in Gloria’s care) is the small chosen-family. The small Tyler’s-family-in-Millbrook (Debbie, Roy, and four-brothers) is the small in-law-family.
Gloria has been making a gelatin ring for the holiday table as long as I can remember, and this year I finally made one myself to bring to the Clarke Thanksgiving — something bright and a little bit fancy sitting right in the middle of all that fried chicken and cornbread dressing. Ida looked at it the same way she looks at everything right now: very seriously, and then she ate it. I think that is the highest compliment a sixteen-month-old can give. This is Gloria’s kind of recipe: it looks like it took effort, it tastes like a celebration, and it has been on more holiday tables than anyone can count.
Raspberry Gelatin Ring
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min (plus chilling) | Total Time: 4 hrs 15 min | Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 2 packages (3 oz each) raspberry-flavored gelatin
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1 package (10 oz) frozen raspberries, thawed and undrained
- 1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- Whipped cream or sour cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Dissolve gelatin. In a large bowl, combine raspberry gelatin and boiling water. Stir for 2 full minutes until gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Add the fruit and juice. Stir in the undrained crushed pineapple, undrained thawed raspberries, and cranberry juice cocktail. Mix gently until well combined.
- Add pecans. If using, fold in the chopped pecans.
- Pour into mold. Lightly coat a 6-cup ring mold with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the gelatin mixture evenly into the mold.
- Chill until firm. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until completely set and firm throughout.
- Unmold and serve. To unmold, briefly set the bottom of the mold in warm water for 10–15 seconds. Place a serving plate over the top of the mold, invert, and gently lift the mold away. Serve chilled with whipped cream or a dollop of sour cream alongside, if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 145 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 75mg