Thanksgiving memories

We had Thanksgiving at Adrienne's this year, for the first time. Adrienne, Wayne, Rita, Aeddon, Alden, Alwyn, Arian, John, Brandon and I all enjoyed a delicious meal of turkey, ham and all the fixings. We brought the turkey, and a pumpkin roulade for dessert. Though we didn't stay long after - John was sick, it was a wonderful meal. 

Thanksgiving always makes me think back to the past. In 1979, Tom and Gerry, John, Adrienne, Brandon and I went out to Glen and Becky's home in Port Clinton, Ohio. We lived in Rensselaer at the time, and had just lost John's sister Mary in a motorcycle accident that September. Although making the trip was a bit of a financial hardship, it was very important for us all to be together that year.

Once we moved to NY, we generally had Thanksgiving at our home, and invited family over there. In 2001, we had a large Thanksgiving, and used the parish hall at Saint Peter. Tom and Gerry, Marge and Earl, and dad; Gail and Lynn, Kelly and Randy, Scott, Kelsey, Taylor and Bailey; John and I, Adrienne and Wayne, Aeddon and Alden; Rita, Jesse and her child; Brandon, Corey and Matthew; all were there. We had just lost mom less than a year before, and it was nice to be together with all our loved ones. 

Another significant Thanksgiving was spent mostly on the road. In 2004, Brandon and Corey drove from Medina to Cleveland, Ohio to pick John and I up. John had just been released from his 3 week stay at the Cleveland Clinic, where they had removed his pericardium, and saved his life. That was a very poignant Thanksgiving, and one that the year before we had no idea if we'd be celebrating together. 

This morning, I was looking over Thanksgiving albums, and noticed that in 2007, dad was missing from the picture. It was the first year he didn't come over, and really marked the beginning of the end for him. Four months later he would be gone from my life, but he and mom live on in my heart, always.

Who knows what next year, or the year after that will bring. But I am always grateful for every year and every Thanksgiving I have to share with those I love.