My Holiday Soap Box

7 years ago this month my Dad died.  Jamie, the kids (only 6 of them then), and I spent 5 days in a hotel, and had Thanksgiving dinner at Denny's.  I also spent several hours Thanksgiving Day visiting my Mom in the hospital.

17 months later my Mom died during Holy Week, and we spent Easter weekend at the same hotel and Easter Sunday at at the same Denny's.

3 years ago Dante had severe cellulitis in his right arm; he and I spent December 23-26 in the Hospital.

These experiences made me very grateful for eating options on a holiday, and aware of the need for community workers to work on holidays, as well as hotel staff and other things we don't think of as necessary.

Waiting tables at a Cracker Barrel, means I have to work Thanksgiving and Easter.  It really stinks to not be with family the entire day....some guests make that feeling worse, some make me thankful to be there.

When I wait on an elderly couple whose family is too far away, it is a blessing to be the one to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.  Going out to a restaurant might be the only thing that makes their day special.

I have waited on people going to or from their own jobs that day, when preparing a meal is the last thing on their mind after the shift just finished.  And there are those traveling home from a full day with family who need a short break from all the driving and traffic.

It really burns my biscuits though to wait on large parties who simply do not feel like cooking and so they all meet up to camp out at a few tables in a restaurant.

Seriously, toss a turkey in the oven, tell everyone to bring a dish and camp out in your own living room.

And now people are shopping on Thanksgiving and making even more people required to work for our gratification??? What are we thinking???

I'd better get off my box now and finish cleaning the kitchen...we celebrated a day early since Nik and I have to work on the real Thanksgiving Day.  It was a blessing to sit at the table with 7 of my 9 kids, although we missed the two big boys.

By the way, we celebrated without our Zachary because he is in the Navy and has to work.  We will also celebrate Christmas without him (again) because he has chosen to serve our country.  Please be sure to thank those who make this choice, because it most certainly benefits you.

I am thankful for my family, and for my job.

God is good.

PS, Apparently turkey makes Dante tired...