Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is normally one of my most favorite days of the year. I absolutely ADORE going to my grandparents at 9:00am and just hanging out, laughing and eating with my family all day long. I was not, however, looking forward to this particular Thanksgiving as much as I normally do. Of course, I was still so excited to go home and see my family, but... one person would be missing. Most of you know that my dear Grandpa passed away in August. I think the whole approaching holiday was bittersweet for all of us. Of course, we were not looking forward to spending the day without Grandpa, but at the same time, we can rejoice in the fact that Grandpa was celebrating his first Thanksgiving in Heaven.

We all met at Grandma's, just like we usually do. Everything went pretty well, considering. I know each of us had our moments. My first pang of sadness was when I walked in the back door. Normally one of the first things I would do is give Grandma and Grandpa a hug. The next difficult moment was during the prayer, before our meal. I could name a few more that stick out in my mind, but you get the picture- it was just hard!

Luckily, I have the most amazing family. Seriously, I know that I am SO blessed to be apart of such a close-knit, caring family. Even Keith has commented on how close we are! He noticed it right off the bat, when he met everyone over 9 years ago. He said he doesn't know if he has ever seen a family as close as we are. Not a day goes by that I don't email my mom, grandma, sister and aunts. We are so fortunate to be able to share little details of our every day lives. Grandpa wanted it that way. Family was the most important thing to him.
Then there is my Grandma. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this woman is. She is so strong and vulnerable all at the same time. I can't imagine how hard this is on her, but I know that she is relying on God to get her through it. She always told me to keep God close to me, to let Him walk beside me through life. She is living the advice she always gave me. It is such an inspiration.

I don't know... I guess what I am saying is this was the first Thanksgiving without my Grandpa. It was hard, but I know in my heart that he is in a better place. I am thankful for all the wonderful memories we were able to make. I am thankful for the fact that I got to spend so much time with my grandparents and hear all of their stories. I am thankful for the fact that I got to witness 28 of the 62 years my grandparents shared. For all of this, I will always be thankful......