Thanksgiving
Memories
Thanksgiving, for me, is a
variegated tapestry of memories. My
earliest years meant a trip to Grandma’s house to gather with family. Thanksgiving was most often our family’s big
event together so that Christmas could be spent in our individual family
units. The spread was enormous; with Mom
having 8 living siblings, how could it be anything else? There were tables all over the public areas
of the downstairs. We ate; we talked; we fellowshipped; we played. That old house had been home to family
roughly since 1939. What memories it
held! What memories we made! Grandpa stepped away from us into Heaven in
1976. Without his gentle presence,
Thanksgiving was forever altered. In
1979, it became obvious that Grandma could no longer live alone; she moved in
with my mother’s oldest sister and her husband.
Thanksgiving was a different venue that year, because the family home
place had been sold. What none of us
knew was that 1979 would be Grandma’s last Thanksgiving with us. For in
December of that year, she had a stroke that would ultimately end her earthly
life.
We began to meet in different venues
after that, because no one had a house big enough to accommodate the entire
family. Finally in 1997 we settled on my cousin’s new house, because it would hold us
all.
If those reading this blog will forgive me for some intensely personal and poignant memories, I would like to share my heart. In 1977, my mother had her first serious and potentially life threatening illness. She had congenital heart issues and heart issues caused by a childhood illness. These would cause bouts of A-Fib that were exceptionally draining and potentially life-threatening. Such was the case in the fall of 1977. Daddy was out of town on business. Mom and I were at home. I attended classes at my Bible College and came home begin homework, but I was greeted with the news that she needed to see her primary care physician. She drove us across town to the doctor’s office. His reaction to her condition was to put her immediately in the hospital. For, you see, she had multiple blood clots and would require surgery to remove them. It was an arduous procedure to recovery. She was placed on Coumadin and Heparin. This would be a life-long sentence which would cause problems as she suffered ups and downs physically. She was well in time for Thanksgiving. Five years later, we nearly lost her again when she suffered from complications from a ruptured ovarian cyst. She recovered in time for Thanksgiving, and we rejoiced. Four years later she nearly died from a ruptured appendix as they were attempting to discern the source of her problem. Once again, God graciously gave her a recovery, and we rejoiced. Yes, we had another Thanksgiving together. The years passed, and not every Thanksgiving was spent with family. One year we hosted the youth pastor and his young family. It was special to share that day in a different way.
If those reading this blog will forgive me for some intensely personal and poignant memories, I would like to share my heart. In 1977, my mother had her first serious and potentially life threatening illness. She had congenital heart issues and heart issues caused by a childhood illness. These would cause bouts of A-Fib that were exceptionally draining and potentially life-threatening. Such was the case in the fall of 1977. Daddy was out of town on business. Mom and I were at home. I attended classes at my Bible College and came home begin homework, but I was greeted with the news that she needed to see her primary care physician. She drove us across town to the doctor’s office. His reaction to her condition was to put her immediately in the hospital. For, you see, she had multiple blood clots and would require surgery to remove them. It was an arduous procedure to recovery. She was placed on Coumadin and Heparin. This would be a life-long sentence which would cause problems as she suffered ups and downs physically. She was well in time for Thanksgiving. Five years later, we nearly lost her again when she suffered from complications from a ruptured ovarian cyst. She recovered in time for Thanksgiving, and we rejoiced. Four years later she nearly died from a ruptured appendix as they were attempting to discern the source of her problem. Once again, God graciously gave her a recovery, and we rejoiced. Yes, we had another Thanksgiving together. The years passed, and not every Thanksgiving was spent with family. One year we hosted the youth pastor and his young family. It was special to share that day in a different way.
As the years passed, aunts, uncles,
and a cousin stepped away. In the milieu of years, Mom was placed on oxygen
24/7. Then in 2000 we met at my cousin’s house once again as had become our
tradition. Mom was definitely unwell, having drastically slipped in strength
and stamina since the summer. Her heart
condition was catching up with her. On
that particular day, her physical condition dictated that we make a trip to the
ER. Little did we know it was the
beginning of the end. Sure enough she
stepped away into Heaven in January of 2001.
Daddy would follow 11 years later.
The holidays bring poignant memories
of our time together. I would be lying if I said that that I do not miss, but
this I know – my God is faithful – my God is near – my God will lead me
until the day I too step away to see my
Lord face to face.
Today I give thanks for the memories
and because I know He holds me fast and will do so until that day. Amen
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