Thanksgiving

Last year, Thanksgiving was a bit of a blur.  Not

 the good kind.  I don't remember much.

I don't remember what we ate, what we did.

I just remember how much I missed my Mom. How

much I cried.

She had only been gone for a handful of days.

I was still in shock.

Before she died, my Mom told me that she hoped

that I would be able to look at her things

with smiles instead of tears.  That the memories

that we shared would bring me joy and comfort

instead of pain.

I was dreading this Thanksgiving a bit. I wasn't sure how

it would be. How I would be.  I thought of my Mom

throughout the day.  I smiled as I pulled out the old

recipes that she had gathered for her last Thanksgiving.

I cried as I looked at our Garland of Gratitude and read

the things that she had written after finding out

that she was dying.

Things that she was grateful for.

Her husband, children, grandchildren

Her Savior.

I knew that the Garland of Gratitude was something that my Mom

loved.  She enjoyed everyone making leaves to

hang that shared things they were grateful for.

I knew that she would want that tradition to continue.

I smiled as I cut out the leaves.

I smiled as I handed them out and thought of the last Thanksgiving

we'd done the garland.  The silly things my brother had written,

the cute things the kids had written,

the final things my Mom had written.

On Thanksgiving, I thought of her with joy.  

Her things, her recipes, brought me comfort and happiness.

I have been so very blessed.  I

am so very thankful.