One Last Story for 2012

The first Sunday of the last two years Sian has encouraged us and provided a place for us to share our stories. Sometimes she suggests a prompt but we are free to write whatever we want from our story of life. This year we were reassured that sometimes all it takes is a picture and a few words to tell a story from our heart. Sometimes, that's all that's needed, sometimes we need words always we need a part of ourselves. This is what I give you on the last Storytelling of 2012. 

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An Empty Seat at the Thanksgiving Table

This Thanksgiving, the Thanksgiving of 2012 was to be the first one celebrated without the Special Sister, Pat at home with us. Pat was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in February. Christmas and her birthday, just a short time before she was in crisis, we all knew she was deteriorating but we were not at all prepared for what lay ahead of us in the month that followed her 58th birthday. Health wise Pat has improved a great deal and mentally she has been better with the help of medications. We have known though that her coming home even for a short visit was unrealistic. She frequently asked to go home and the thought of having to remove her again was too much. Pat was able to attend our family reunion in August since it's held at a local church. I hadn't given any thought to her not being there at Thanksgiving until 2 weeks before in Sunday School. A class member shared about her mother's declining health and AD. It hit me in the heart and tears just started pouring down my face. The following Sunday I raised our family's Thanksgiving up as a prayer request and cried again. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I adore Christmas and celebrating the birth of my Savior but Thanksgiving for me is like Christmas without the material gifts and commercialism, no drawn out expectations and stress. This year I was not so eager for the time to get here, to walk into the house and not hear Pat say, "well, hey there!" As I turned the car into the neighborhood of my childhood the sadness pulled down on me and I reminded myself to be a big girl and not cry. We were the last to arrive and as we walked into the house I got to the threshold and couldn't move for a moment, it took a moment to process,

 there would be no empty seat at the table. Not yet, not this Thanksgiving. Pat was home.

As of right now there have been 497 stories published in 2012! Wouldn't it be lovely if yours helped get us to 500. Consider writing your story and linking it up at from high in the sky and if not grab a cup of coffee and pop over to links to glorious stories to be enjoyed.