Thanksgiving was my Annie’s favorite holiday. She was hearing-impaired; that’s why I think she especially loved this holiday filled with smells and colors and tastes.
She always wanted to know the Thanksgiving menu. She spent a lot of time in the kitchen watching it all come together. Our daughters groaned as I made them go around and say what they were grateful for this year. I noticed the answers got shorter and shorter depending on how hungry everyone was.
What was your home like at Thanksgiving? What role did your loved one play in the preparations?
If your first Thanksgiving with loss is coming up, what are you most anxious about? For those who have been living through this time of giving and gratefulness, what have you found to be thankful for?
About the Author:
After working for several years as a Family Support Coordinator for Any Baby Can and EveryChild, Inc., Linda received a B.A. in Liberal Arts 
from UT-Austin and a M.A. in Literature from Texas State. She now works as an adjunct English Professor at Austin Community College and says “This can be a perfect job for empty-nesters; I get 28 new “babies” every semester!”
Linda keeps her writing practice going as a blog, which she started on Annie’s birthday in 2010: www.phillips-write.typepad.com. She is currently working on several writing projects about her family, her girls, and her father.
I find I am living in the moment again. It has been about 1 1/2 years since I lost my 33 year old son. I am tired of knowing he will never be here again.
Dear Beverly,
That’s not so very long ago. And at the same time, feels like forever. That feeling hits me especially when I look at pictures or take pictures; I am always saddened that I will never have a “new picture” of her. I was quite a bit melancholy these past few days, then yesterday I noticed Annie’s name in places I wouldn’t have ordinarily seen before, one was in back of an old quilting magazine issue, from 2010, the year Annie died, and I was just flipping through and stopped on a page that had a pattern called “Annie,” there was a question and answer section called, “Dear Annie…,” and just below everything was an ad from a Dragonfly Fabric store..a dragonfly is one of the symbols I have of Annie. I have also noticed that on days that are the hardest for me, I see signs of her or simply “feel” her…it’s very subtle, not like I feel a hug as some people have experienced. I do miss the physical Annie–wanting to give her one more hug, I would have liked to say goodbye, etc. But I’m finding a little hope and joy when I see my “messages” from Annie.
Sorry it took me so long to see your response, I am still tired of Todd being gone of course, that will not change. I knew it was a forever thing. I feel for you finding little Annie treasures. I try to remember that I have so many wonderful memories. (and some of course where he drove me crazy, don’t want to forget those! )