Thumb through most American family photo albums and you’re likely to come across memorable snapshots of Thanksgiving gatherings over the years. The photos may include family members crowded around a table, feasting on turkey and dressing with dollops of cranberry sauce. Pumpkin decorations probably dot the background, along with flashes of TV football images.

When my West Texas great-grandmother decided it was time to “break up housekeeping” and move to an “old folks’ home,” she invited the family to walk through the old homeplace one last time and to take what we wanted—she “no longer needed any of it.”