Settling In for the Long Weekend

Well, the first big weekend of the holiday season is here. As I get ready to to join my family for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, I reflect on the road my life has traveled to this point in time.

Thanksgiving always is bittersweet to me--my first son was born on Thanksgiving, 14 years ago this 24th. Unfortunately, he died when he was only two months old. The bond formed between mother and child in the first months of a baby's life is a strong one, and I feel his absence now, 14 years later, as strong as the day he was taken from us. The pain has dulled, but it will never heal. I know his spirit is around us...especially his little brother. He is his Guardian Angel...and I couldn't ask for a better one.

We tend to reflect on what we are thankful for at this time of year, and I have come to realize that I am thankful that we had those two precious months with him. He looked so much like his father; even more like his brother. I truly miss him.

I am thankful for my friends, without whom I could not have gotten through that terrible period in my life, nor through the hell that followed later. Its times like that when you find out who your true friends are. And I'm glad to say that no one fell off that list.

I am thankful that my relationship with my husband has withstood all of the trials and tribulations that life has thrown at us, and that he remains after 26 years, my lover and best friend. I couldn't imagine life without him.

Lastly, I am thankful for my family...both my parents and my children. My daughter is at a terrible age when anything we do as parents is seen as an act of war. I hope she grows up to see that what we do and will continue to do is for her benefit, whether she can see it now or not, and that we truly do love her. And for my son, who helped fill the hole left behind by his brother...he has his own set of issues, but we wouldn't trade him for the world.

How true it is that what doesn't kill you, will make you stronger. And I am a stronger, better person because of those in my life. And for that, I am truly thankful.

My best wishes to all for a wonderful Thanksgiving.

TMS