Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving will be bittersweet this year. It's the first Thanksgiving without my dad. Last year he passed away suddenly the day after Thanksgiving on November 27th. It's also the last holiday that we have to go through as being the "first without Dad". I'm glad for that because those "first" holidays - especially Christmas and his shared birthday with my youngest son- were very difficult.

Even though his death was such a shock, I was grateful to have spent the prior day with him and the rest of my family. It was like Thanksgiving was even more of a gift than usual. We laughed and talked, ate and drank. I sat across from him and worried about the triple by-pass he'd just undergone a week or so prior, and if he really felt as good as he said.

This year as we gather at my sister's house, I'm sure we'll all be thinking of that last Thanksgiving.The food will be similar or the same, the company almost the same. But we'll all miss my dad's snarky remarks, his booming laughter, and his huge bear hugs. I know, though, that he'll be with us in spirit.

Love you, Dad.

Lee Dewstow

1935-2009