As my family gathers together for the holidays there are so
many wonderful things going on.
My parents are hosting us for Thanksgiving.
Dad will tell us some jokes and try to get us to look down
at the non-existent spot on our shirt, so he can catch our noses. Mom will make her special treats and make us
all laugh with something that she leaves in the microwave, only to find It after we
are all stuffed full.
My brothers will play a game and toss back a few beers while
we are all getting the dinner buffet set up.
They will keep the kids occupied and encourage them to come steal the black
olives from the tray, even though it’s not time to eat quite yet.
My sister-in-laws will help to get the food ready and placed
on the counter for everyone to pick and choose over. We will chat about what the kids have been
doing and what they have coming up. We
will tell stories about some of the fun and goofy things that have
happened.
The big kids will be sitting comfortably on the sofas
playing with their phones, the little kids will bounce back and forth from my
bothers to the big kids, wanting to see what game they are playing and when it
can be their turn to play.
We will all fill our plates and sit around the table to
share the meal and time together. Mom will
bring us all together with a prayer and remind us how blessed we all are. Then we will join in the meal and joke and
laugh about the fun we have together.
The kids will push some food around their plates and accept some bribes
to try something new, only to have this Aunchie let them have their desert
anyway.
After the meal we will work together to clear the table, do
the dishes, and put the leftovers away.
We will join together again to play a game and enjoy each other’s company,
with a glass of wine or two.
This may sound like the very perfect picture of a holiday. I know how truly blessed I am to have it, yet
the most noticeable thing to me will be the empty chair where my daughter
should be.
This is not the first year for
the empty chair, yet it hasn’t become any easier. I love the time my family is together, but it
also serves as a heartbreaking reminder of that empty chair.
