Bittersweet

     Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays.  One reason I like it so much is because it is a day of unity and not division.  Whether you are  Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, or Muslim if you live in America you celebrate the holiday in some fashion.
     For myself, this year's Thanksgiving holiday was bittersweet.  It was hard not to notice who was not there.  My father died three days before the holiday and was buried less than ten hours before the official start of Thanksgiving.  The days of coming home to a full table with mom standing in the kitchen are long gone and now dad won't be setting in his favorite chair waiting for a call to prayer.  As the years roll on there seems to be more empty seats but that's normal in life and death.  There's not much if anything we can do about that fact except count our blessings instead of bemoaning our losses.
     Neither of my parents were perfect and Lord knows I'm not but I loved them as much as any son could.  Yes,  more than once  both  tried my patience and I use  "fake it till you make it"  more times than I want to admit.  But over all and always in the end my love for my parents was as strong as any son's could be.
     This thanksgiving was awkward and filled with sadness but remembering the love my parents always showed me made the holiday a lot easier.  Bittersweet,  yes the past week sure was but life's blessings are everywhere I turn.  Happy Thanksgiving.  May God bless us all.