Thankfulness

Yesterday was a day we American's have set aside for giving thanks.  I have spent a majority of the Thanksgiving holidays in my life surrounded by family and food, lots and lots of food.  However this year was a bit different and made me reflect on the day in a different way.

The location was different, rather than my parents or my inlaws, I spent the majority of the day at my sister's.  I actually spent more time at her house than she did.  You see she is a CRNA and is on call this holiday and weekend.  She was called three different times while we were there.  That means there were at least three different people that weren't spending time with families that day, and their families were spending all or part of their holiday at the hospital.  I was thankful that it wasn't me spending time at the hospital, either as a patient or a family member.

The food was different this year.   I did not have my mother's dressing, nor did I even have any turkey.  We had a very casual thanksgiving with hot ham and cheese sandwiches and finger foods.  This was for several reasons among them being; the unpredictably of my sister's on call schedule, the fact that my mom is less than a month post heart surgery, and the fact that we only could get one day to travel and celebrate because of hubby's work schedule.   It was an  feast which was though different than the norm absolutely amazing.  I was thankful for a family that pulled together and made it happen even providing enough for supper, and leftovers enough for breakfast and lunches today at our household.

I had other loved ones in different situations as well.  My oldest (as in longest known) and dearest friend in the world, had a very VERY different thanksgiving.  For as many years as she can remember, she went with her family to her aunt and uncle's home in a relatively close large city to celebrate the holiday with her father's extended family.  However, because of her father's health, advanced stages of cancer, she and her sister chose to spend the holiday at her parents house.  Yet, even that wasn't to be, as her father's pain worsened to the point that meds given at home weren't providing enough comfort.  So the family spent most of the day in the ER and then in a hospital room as he was admitted.  Through the course of the ensuing hours, hospice has been ordered and a hospital bed and lift chair have been set up at the house for his return home tomorrow morning.  This family was thankful for one more day and night with their loved one as they prepare their hearts and minds for his home going.  

I am giving thanks this year for differences and the perspective that those differences provide.