I had the opportunity of meeting the mom of one of my dearest friends for the first time back in 2014. She flew from Texas to New York to visit her son Richard and his husband Garrett for the first time since they married that Summer. She spent Thanksgiving with them and to our delight, she accompanied her son and his husband to our Friendsgiving celebration that following Saturday evening.

It was the first and only Thanksgiving my husband and I celebrated in Fairfield, Connecticut before we sold our house and moved down here to Miami Beach. That holiday, my husband manned the kitchen, producing a southern feast for 30 that rivaled any dinner I had ever eaten, while I tapped into a hidden love and happily played bartender.

Knowing that my friend’s mom was coming to our house for the very first time, I wanted to welcome her with…