Thanksgiving was going to be interesting from the begining. I worked on Wednesday before the holiday and was scheduled for Black Friday also. Lots of pressure being applied by the regional management due to a low census, so there was no taking off. We agreed that we would just leave as soon as we could on Wednesday and travel back Thursday evening. Fast trip, but we wanted to see family. It is important. Goody cake, ham, homemade rolls, and cranberry salad...I wanted these things too!
Monday before Thanksgiving, Hannah woke up sick. She had a sore throat primarily, but aches, low grade fever, and headache. She continued to feel this way on Tuesday. Tuesday night, I took her to urgent care. "The crud"...not much of a diagnosis, but it was the info we received. Cough syrup, advil, rest...not much else to do. Wednesdy, though, we had to make the call. Were we going to travel to MawMaw's with Hannah feeling so bad? Lots of discussion, phone calls, and re-assurances later, Hannah finally said she did not feel like going. She felt terrible, knowing it would change everyone's Thanksgiving. We reassured her that no one would be mad. We would see everyone at Christmas. No need to feel guilty!
No food in the house, so I had to go shopping for Thanksgiving. I envisioned Christmas at the Kranks with my trip to the store. Fighting over a turkey or something...big crowds...limited supplies. I knew it would be bad. I was also wondering how I was going to cook a full dinner without any help! Kyle would be a helper, but Hannah could not. Hannah did help me in the store, though. Lots of folks there that waited until the last minute to get their supplies also. Not too bad, though. She and I decided to avoid the normal turkey day food. We went with surf and turf instead. Sirloins and extra large shrimp (16/20s) grilled to perfection. Kyle is quite the artist on the grill. Hannah rose to the occassion and made two pumpkin pies. We made Kyla Kay's recipe of brocolli rice caserole. We did fresh green beans with bacon and brown sugar. It was delicious! A very different Thanksgiving, but it was ours and we were together.
Christmas will bring it's own set of changes. The best part, no matter how things are different this year, is that we are a family that loves one another. We can communicate and enjoy each other. We laugh at the cousins and the silly games they play year after year. We have moved beyond exchanging gifts and now realize that the time we are together is the real gift. We enjoy PawPaw's smokey cook shed and Sauce Picante'. We have all been together so many years... we are just enjoying ourselves! New family members have been added and are being added. Husbands, wives, grandchildren, in-laws, and even pets. Life changes and God is in control. So thankful for the year the holidays were different. So many more changes to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment