Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can be a challenging time for caregivers and families going through transitions.
When families are scattered and some members have special needs that limit travel, many families decide to spend the holiday apart. This Thanksgiving will be an especially quiet one at our house. Both Anna and Mary are far enough away and have work demands that make it difficult to come home, so we will have four adults around our table for the first time in 23 years. I'm brainstorming on how to make this day more festive. Maybe we'll set up the Christmas tree and trim it after our turkey dinner. That way we'll get our holiday decorating off to a good start and Grandma and Grandpa can help hang ornaments. I'm sure we'll hear a few stories about some of our passed down heirlooms. I'm thinking a mini tree-lighting ceremony may be just the thing to keep our spirits up; it will keep us looking ahead to the holiday when we'll have more of a full house.  In any event, we'll all give thanks for each other, for the love we share, for our good health, and for the family members who once shared our table, but are no longer with us. On this holiday of reflection and introspection, we wish all of our family and friends a fullness of heart equal to that of their bellies.