It wasn’t supposed to be like that.

Thanksgiving…a day of family, food and memories. That’s how it’s supposed to be!

Yesterday morning, Jim’s mom called me early to let me know she wasn’t going to be able to attend our Thanksgiving meal. She and I had talked the night before and I knew she wasn’t 100%. I could tell she was out of breath. Yesterday morning, though, she was a lot worse. Worse enough that I woke Jim up and told him he had to take her somewhere for help. He didn’t even argue with me. He got up, got dressed and called his sister. Here’s an instance of seeing how God works in our lives. Maureen (Jim’s sister) usually has a house full on Thanksgiving. Not this year. She had Thanksgiving on Sunday (a little weird, I thought) and wouldn’t be celebrating on Thursday. So, when Jim called her, she was able to drop everything and head to Omaha with him (without leaving food preparations and a house full of people). God is so good all the time!

Our meal was supposed to be ready at 12:30. It was placed on hold until further notice. Our crowd was slim as Jamie and Curt were in Kansas with Curt’s family. Jim wasn’t there and neither was his mom. So, those of us that were here just sat around the kitchen table and in the living room watching tv. The time seemed to drag. Once in a while Jim would call with an update. Finally, at 1:00, he said he’d be home at 2:00 to eat. The cooking began, once again. At 2:00, Jim called and said he didn’t feel like he could leave the hospital and we were to go ahead and eat without him. We said our grace and began feasting. It sure didn’t taste as good as it should have. As I was staring at my plate, I got to thinking about the previous years and it hit me – this was the first time in over 30 years that I hadn’t been sitting at the table on Thanksgiving with Jim. Weird. He was where he needed to be. We all missed him. He showed up – about 3:30 – with information about Grandma. She was in ICU and was resting but had a very tiresome day. Her Thanksgiving included a lot of poking, prodding and testing. The doctor diagnosed the shortness of breath was due to fluid built up around her heart and in her lungs (as a result of congestive heart failure). She was wore out from struggling for every breath she took. How often do we take that next breath for granted? All the time. Makes me want to take a DEEP breath right now!

(The girls in their after turkey coma state)

God prepared us for yesterday even before we realized why. Grandma is still in ICU but is resting more comfortably. Today, she was tired but thankful for the company she had throughout the day. I hope she rests well tonight and knows that God is watching over her. Thanksgiving wasn’t supposed to be like that. We were supposed to celebrate the day just like we have every other year…