Thanksgiving 2007 was eventful in our house, as always! After a week or more of preparation, menu planning, shopping, cleaning, cooking and stressing, dinner was very enjoyable. Spending joyous time with family is always the reward of the day.
This year has been a difficult year for my family – a year of “firsts” following the death of my husband’s father, who passed away just after Christmas in 2006. That first year following the death of someone special is most difficult. Each holiday takes on a melancholy feel and emotions remain close to the surface. My father-in-law was all about food and love, and feeding his family a healthy dose of both. Family gatherings are not the same without him here, and his absence is deafening.
It is so important to keep the traditions of our lost loved ones alive – for our sake and for the sake of our children. It would be so easy to just give up and avoid all of those “firsts”; to spare the inevitable heartache, but you must push on and allow yourself to experience the sorrow. Believe me when I say that the spirit of any season is found in the midst of that grief – you soon realize that coming together to celebrate as a family and keeping those traditions alive is the elixir of life. It binds hearts and families through generations. It’s not about the food, gifts or money. It’s the time. Time spent with those you love and who love you.
Enjoy the holidays. As the song so eloquently states, “let your hearts be light”. There will be hustle and bustle and budgets and bumps, but roll with it and always remember what is most important – the priceless gift of time spent with your family and friends.
This year has been a difficult year for my family – a year of “firsts” following the death of my husband’s father, who passed away just after Christmas in 2006. That first year following the death of someone special is most difficult. Each holiday takes on a melancholy feel and emotions remain close to the surface. My father-in-law was all about food and love, and feeding his family a healthy dose of both. Family gatherings are not the same without him here, and his absence is deafening.
It is so important to keep the traditions of our lost loved ones alive – for our sake and for the sake of our children. It would be so easy to just give up and avoid all of those “firsts”; to spare the inevitable heartache, but you must push on and allow yourself to experience the sorrow. Believe me when I say that the spirit of any season is found in the midst of that grief – you soon realize that coming together to celebrate as a family and keeping those traditions alive is the elixir of life. It binds hearts and families through generations. It’s not about the food, gifts or money. It’s the time. Time spent with those you love and who love you.
Enjoy the holidays. As the song so eloquently states, “let your hearts be light”. There will be hustle and bustle and budgets and bumps, but roll with it and always remember what is most important – the priceless gift of time spent with your family and friends.
PEACE
