Thanksgiving Evening

We have just returned from Thanksgiving at my mother's house.

It was a really wonderful day. My mother (Paulina) is a great cook and the turkey was so tender it melted in my mouth. My sister Paula made some great pies.

My dad (Bill) has not had a good week. A week ago, his brother Vernon passed away and the funeral was just this past Saturday.

My dad is 85 years old and not in great shape.

His brother was probably the person in the world that he was closest to; their father died when my dad was 12 and Vernon was 9. They grew up looking out for each other and then worked together at my dad's lumber business. Uncle Vernon was the sawyer. He was responsible for cutting the logs into boards, blocking or railroad ties. I used to just watch him work; he made it look easy.

So my dad's health is really rocky: bad heart, diabetes, not to mention that he has had his back broken, his elbow shattered, his skull split open (you could see the brain) and been hit by lightening.

And that's just a small sampling.

So I'm feeling very sad for my dad, he's never been very open with his emotions and now he's grieving his brother's death.

As Lisa and I were getting ready to go, I said, "It's been a rough week huh dad?"

He said that it had been a rough week and started to cry.

I hope to get back and see him before Christmas.

But I'm lucky to still have him in my life. He and my mother both.

That's what I'm thankful for...

Blessings