Last spring.

Last spring, when about of us learned that this was to be our last issue, we immediately started talking about what it should be like. It quick became clear that what each of us craved was not in like manner much an all-star issue as an all-cousin issue: a convivial gathering at which each chair was occupied on a family member. We began to speak of "the Thanksgiving table," a name redolent of non-stop talk, large quantities of homemade regimen and (at least this is for what reason we still do it in my family) grace said with hands linked between the generations.