I was 5. Playing with my cousins in the snow at my Aunt Dee's house was all I wanted to do. But dad forgot our boots. My family was separated that Thanksgiving. Mom was with her family. My sisters and I were in Port Huron with my dad and his side of the family. Poppa, (my mom's dad) had died that morning or day I'm not exactly sure. I was 5. I can remember going to see my grandma and poppa up north and poppa being sick but I never knew what would come from being that sick.
We were his little princesses. I know it. I don't know that last time I saw him. We were visiting a lot when I was little, but that was all I knew. I know now we were visiting every weekend because we didn't know how long. I know mom was gone. My aunts and uncles at Thanksgiving knew, and I can remember them looking out for us more than usual. I know we had no clue what had happened that morning. All we knew was we saw Santa on TV. And we couldn't play outside with out cousins in the snow.
I was 5.
From that year on, Thanksgiving was at Aunt Dee's. I don't know if we ever went there before Poppa died, I think we might have. But after Poppa died in 1995 I spent my Thanksgivings at Aunt Dee's, who was actually my dad's aunt. Her house was small, so the guys hung out in the heated garage.
The house was buzzing. It was so warm and inviting. Us kids had really no where to go excpet the hallway. Piling on each other and driving our parents crazy. The small old farm house was really no place for over 11 cousins to be playing. But it was the memories I remember.
As we grew it wasn't so fun anymore. The house was still buzzing. And seamed a lot smaller, but then again we were a lot bigger.
Our last Thanksgiving there was the biggest. Everyone knew Aunt Dee didn't have long. Family I barely knew all gathered in Aunt Dee's small old farm house to share a meal and play some cards one last time. That was 2006.
She made it one more Thanksgiving, but was too sick to have us all over. (2007) Thanksgiving changed. Instead of all my dad's extened family it was just his brothers and sisters and thier families at my aunts in St. Clair. My aunts family was there too. It wasn't anything I knew. It was different. To me it wasn't Thanksgiving.
What I knew of Thanksgiving would never be again. Aunt Dee passed away in Janurary of 2008.
What I never knew about our tradition of Thanksging was that my dad had spent his holidays at or with my Aunt Dee and her family when he was growing up. This was all we knew. Utill Thanksgiving 2008.
Last year, was different. More different than I was up to.
My mom's mom has always come with us since my poppa died. So off we went the 6 of us to Linda's, Aunt Dee's daughter. It was gonna be like old times right? Linda was hosting, but it wasn't the same.
Not everyone from my family was there. There were people I had no clue who they were and there was not a lot of places to sit. In the past there wasn't either but Linda's living room was a lot smaller than Aunt Dee's. We made due, and ended the night early since my mom and I weren't feeling good from the smoke that was coming from downstairs. (That was the new garage for the men).
So in a week, once again I will be somewhere else for Thanksgiving. Actually my aunt who took it on in 2007 is hosting again this year with some more people, I think. All I know is that she's freaking out. There could just be the small group that we had a coupld years ago, or there could be 50 more people. All I know is that I will be with family, all my cousins will be home and there will be good food.
I know it doesn't matter where you are, but who we are with on Thanksgiving. Life will take me all over in the coming years, but I wil always have these memories of death with tradition until death again associated with Thanksgiving no matter where I am.
I think this verse from 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 sums up my Thanksgivings----
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
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