Holiday Season Approaches

Thanksgiving & the Holiday season begins......  
     I've been doing a bit or reminiscing lately.  There is one specific Thanksgiving and two Christmas's that come to mind each holiday season.  They are all bitter/sweet with memories of laughter and tears.  The Thanksgiving of 1995, after Dave had had his first liver transplant and hepatic artery transplant.  The artery clogged off a second time and he ended up in the hospital waiting for his 2nd liver transplant.  The good doctors gave Dave a "leave from the hospital" for a week or so, and we had our very first official Thanksgiving dinner with just our own little family.  Dave had been on heavy doses of medication and the doctors told me it may tend to make him a "bit paranoid".  Well, it did, and not just a bit.  Mattie was nominated to drive him to Salt Lake for his steriod treatments, and she returned saying it would be someone else next time.  He was very sick!
     I got up early, and had baked for two days before.  The three girls all had long hair and put it in two braids, playing the part of the Indians attending the meal.  The meal was perfect, the table set beautifully.  I had made all Dave's favorites as well.  Red jello with bananas and whipped cream, banana cream pie etc.  As we ate, the girls talked and laughed about their hair and I joined in.  Fairly soon Dave became upset and told us all to stop laughing at him.  The merriment stopped and tears fell from my face as we quietly finished our meal.   Not tears of anger, but sadness because Dave (without medication) would have enjoyed our family laughter and meal more than any of us.  We all affectionately refer to it as the "Thanksgiving from H_ _ _!"
     We will be having our 2nd Thanksgiving meal with just our family this year.  All the other years we have traded off eating with Grandma Nelson, or Grandma Sheriff and the families.  I will be doing most of the cooking and am excited for the chance to be together, eating, laughing, and eating more. 
     I think I'll make red-jello with bananas and whipped cream, and banana cream pie too!  Then on Friday Steve and I are headed to Blackfoot, Idaho early in the morning to make another meal for his children and have another day of Thanksgiving fun!  It should be a nice beginning to a great holiday season!