Well, it's been an interesting month!! At the beginning, we excitedly looked forward to having our families share Thanksgiving with us, but---alas---it wasn't meant to be. Mom had a breast cancer scare and subsequent operation, and my mother-in-law is on oxygen and couldn't afford to be around me---who got sick with flu-like symptoms two days before Thanksgiving. Amazing though, that if you just go with the flow, a holiday can still be fulfilling and satisfying: we still celebrated with family: Bettye and Jeff came, bearing outrageous amounts of food (as always), Mary B was able to join us after working all day, and our meal was lovely and blessed. Later in the evening, Lorna and John popped in, so we were able to have a continued festive atmosphere---a different Thanksgiving, but a very nice one because we didn't get hung up on rigid ideas of what Thanksgiving should be.
It's easy to get hung up like that... there have been years when Michael wasn't able to join us, and now we are also missing Jeffrey so much, as he fulfills his commitment to the Marine Corps. He's in Iwikuni, Japan, shortly leaving for Okinawa. As ironic as this seems, the guys were given a four-day weekend for Thanksgiving---but no meal together to share on Thanksgiving!! They were told they could go out to eat---what a sad commentary that the Armed Forces don't pull a meal together for an all-American holiday. Of course, as I am writing this, I am thinking about how small a gripe that is compared to whatever is going on in the Middle East with our soldiers there.
