The Head of the Table

One down (Thanksgiving), three more to go (Christmas, anniversary, New Year's).  I actually did pretty well on the first one.  We had our family get-together Wednesday instead of Thursdy.  Trey, his girlfriend Candace, Emily, my mother, my dad, and my grandmother were all here.  We had the traditional Thanksgiving meal (and way too much of it).  My mother came early to help me cook.  I had intended to let her help, but once I started cooking I just kept doing everything myself.  I've found that I get through these days better if I stay busy.  I only had two difficult moments, and thankfully they were brief.  The first was when we stood in the kitchen to pray before eating.   I remembered the Thanksgiving after Eddie came home from rehab.  That day we went around the room and everyone told something they were thankful for.  I remember Eddie saying simply "I'm thankful to be alive."  My second moment came when we went in the dining room to sit down.  I assumed Trey would sit at the head of the table, but when I walked in he was sitting on the side between Emily and Candace.  The only empty chair was the one where Eddie always sat, so I sat there, even though I didn't want to.  I realized that no matter how much I like to be in control and in charge of things, I don't want to be at the head of the table.

Since we'd had our Thanksgiving on Wednesday, we didn't get together again Thursday.  I stayed home and decided to get started on my Christmas decorating.  The first Christmas after Eddie died, I really didn't want to decorate at all.  I would have liked to just skip the holiday altogether.  I knew that wasn't possible though because of Trey and Emily, so I put up a tree, decorated the mantle, and hung wreaths on the doors.  It was so much less than what I normally did, but it was the best I could manage.  Last Christmas I did a little more but not much.  This year I spent all day yesterday and all day today decorating.  When I finally finished I was surprised at how much I had done.  I hadn't started out to do much more than last year, but I kept seeing "just one more thing" I wanted to do.  Before I realized it I had decorated almost as much as I used to.  Hopefully this is a sign that Christmas will be a little better this year just as Thanksgiving was ... as long as I don't have to sit at the head of the table.

Be Glad by Helen Steiner Rice

Be glad that your life has been full and complete,
Be glad that you've tasted the bitter and sweet.
Be glad that you've walked in sunshine and rain,
Be glad that you've felt both pleasure and pain.
Be glad that you've had such a full, happy life,
Be glad for your joy as well as your strife.
Be glad that you've walked with courage each day,
Be glad you've had strength for each step of the way.
Be glad for the comfort that you've found in prayer.
Be glad for god's blessings, His love, and His care.