Thanksgiving is a big deal for my family. It has been a special day where we have a house full of guests. Close friends, people passing through, students from out of town, etc… It is a happy time with lots of good food, fellowship, conversation, and sometimes a football game in the yard, or table games.

Last year was no exception. The unusual thing about last year was that five of the 11 people who attended, had been exposed to covid the previous Sunday (although they didn’t know it at the time.) And shortly thereafter, 6 people contracted that illness. Boo! And one of those people was my 95-year-old Dad! He was sick for one intense month! I am thankful to say that he made a full recovery.

This year, we had 18 people lined up to be here for the meal. That’s a lot of people, given the size of our house. But I had it all figured out how I would move the furniture around to make it work. We were all looking forward to it. A lot!

Two days before Thanksgiving Day, my dad (now 96) told me he had a fever. I went over and it was 102.6! He felt awful. This was concerning! I took him to the local clinic. He was so weak, I thought I would “drop” him on the way from the car to the clinic door. Two people came out to our rescue. Long story short: COVID! NOT AGAIN!

Sadly, I had to tell everyone that our meal was cancelled. One of my sons lives far away and I only get to see him twice/year. That was difficult for me.

You can see the simple meal that Dad and I shared. He had very little appetite. Carrot pie (he only ate a sliver), a small batch of bread dressing and a refreshing pasta salad that a friend brought over. No tablecloth. Just the two of us at the counter.

So I guess I said all of the above to lead to this: I am still thankful. I am thankful we found this out before the people came. I am thankful I still have my dad. I am thankful for my family and friends.

I want to learn to adjust to disappointments and annoyances without getting bent out of shape. Sometimes I haven’t reacted well to unexpected changes in plans, and disruptions to my set agenda.

So that’s my story for today.

P.S. Dad is feeling a little better, day by day. At this moment, he is outside walking around the yard for some fresh air.