Thanksgiving at the Taylor's -- Extra Credit Blog [Post #3]

Then, the children proceeded to burst out into song. No one expected these powerful voices singing a difficult opera song to come from my two, little cousins.

It was the Thanksgiving of 2001. This was the first year that my cousins from Smyrna, Georgia had come to Thanksgiving which was held every year at our house. My Smyrna cousins consisted of two adults and their two children. These two children were somewhat out of the ordinary.

When they arrived, their five year-old daughter was dressed in a plaid, formal dress. It had "poofs" everywhere. She was a little over-dressed for the occasion. Her little three or four year-old brother was as well. He was dressed just like a little man in his three-piece suit. This was surprising to find a little boy dressed much more formally than any of the other men at our house.

As the day went on, my little brother and I became friends with our cousins who were close to our ages at the time. We even got to sit together at the same table in the kitchen where we all shared jokes and funny stories during dinner.

When dinner came to a close, somehow, the majority of the family who had come to our Thanksgiving feast was congregated in the family room downstairs. One of my cousins, who was also the grandmother of the Smyrna children, asked them to sing a song. I am still not quite sure whether she was saying this in a joking tone or asking them seriously. However, the children took her seriously and gathered together. All of us were expecting a cute, brother-sister duet of a childish Christmas carol. What came out of their mouths was shocking.

The little girl and boy began harmonizing in a spectacular opera song. They sang high and low, proving to us that they were definitely part of an elite children's choir or something similar. Everyone in the room was in complete shock, mouths gaping open. Their mouths remained open, even after the children completed their song. Applause and "whoo's" rang through the household. The children bowed for us and performed another song.

At the end of the Thanksgiving celebration with the Taylor family, everyone was sad to see the singing cousins go. Needless to say, I have never had another Thanksgiving experience quite like this one.