A Different Kind of Thanks-giving
Thanksgiving hasn't looked like how I remember in awhile. All of my childhood and into my adulthood, I would gather with my immediate and extended family for a huge week of celebration at my older cousin's home. This coming together had been a tradition in the family for over sixty years, and I looked forward to it every year. With only a couple rare exceptions, we'd made it to almost all of them over time. But then things changed. The 2020 lockdowns happened and it looked like gathering on a zoom call to stay in touch. Then slowly, year after year, less and less relatives started showing up and we were unable to make it as well. This will be, for me and my immediate family, year six of missing this beautiful tradition and, what's even more sad, is that last year we heard there wasn't even a gathering at the place at all. Only a small get together the day after. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't pained me that the tradition is dying out. My heart hurts. I...
