A Good Thanksgiving*

Thanksgiving was great!

The holiday went much better than I expected considering that this is the first Thanksgiving without Daddy. I spent the night with Mom Wednesday. We had a good time watching "Mighty Joe Young" together. There were a few emotional scenes in the film, and I actually cried during one of them. That's one of the changes I've noticed in myself since Daddy died. I'm more emotional now, crying about things that I would've ignored or found silly before. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I definitely notice it.

Mom did better than I expected, too. She talked about Daddy a lot, almost to the point of getting on my nerves, but she didn't cry, and she had a great time at my sister's house where we went for dinner. I think what made the day easier for me, Mom, and Sis is that my nephew was home from college. His arrival gave us something happy to look forward to, which blunted the pain of Daddy's absence. In fact, I didn't even think about Daddy while I was at Sis's because I was enjoying being with my nephew so much. I also enjoyed all the other relatives who were there. Dinner was awesome with ham, two turkeys, loads of veggies, rolls and five desserts. If Daddy had been with us in the condition he was in last Thanksgiving, he couldn't have enjoyed the feast because his cancer had made it almost impossible for him to eat. He died two months and two weeks after last Thanksgiving.

Yes, this Thanksgiving was good. Daddy wasn't with us, but that's because he's in a better place, where not having a working stomach doesn't matter. Everyone else who was alive and well last holiday was alive and well this holiday. Even Foxy's doing better. And for that, I'm thankful.