November 27, 2013
I'm going to miss Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in my life, and if I'm completely honest, I'm a bit relieved. Truthfully, I'm exhausted. I spent last night in the emergency room with my partner, fearing he'd developed a blood clot in his leg. The problem turned out to be something equally serious and he's on medication to clear it, but it was not a good experience for either of us.
It's at times like these I find it difficult to be thankful for the chemotherapy that saved his life. It saved him but between the cancer itself and the drugs, he is not the man he was. He's been cancer free for seven years, but the health issues left in its wake mount. But I am thankful for his presence in my life. His sense of humor is intact, and I'm thankful for that, too.
Missing one dinner won't ruin my year. But you know what worries me? I'm afraid my partner and I will like having a nice quiet dinner, just the two of us. It's too late to get a turkey for two for tomorrow, but next year? A turkey for two will make a lot of hot turkey sandwiches, turkey salad wraps, turkey ala king over waffles, turkey tetrazzini, turkey rice soup - you see where I'm going with this.
My mom and stepdad are pretty cool with missing the big dinner, too. They'd turned down several invitations from their friends to be with us and my partner's family so they simply made a phone call. I'll miss seeing them, but you know what? Maybe tomorrow, after I catch up on my sleep, I can bake a pie and invite them to come for dessert. And if they'd rather not come out in the cold? I'm all grown up. I won't pout.
In the overall scheme of things, tomorrow will come and go, and everything will be fine. I'm hopeful my partner's leg will heal without additional medical intervention. I'm no less thankful for my family and those around me over missing one dinner. In fact, I may be more so.
I suspect we'll share the Memories of Thanksgiving Past tomorrow - the good, the bad and the ugly - because it all makes family special. And ours. And we'll both be so very thankful for everyone we call family.
And the very best thing? We know, without doubt, they'll be thankful for us.
May it be so for you, as well.
KC Kendricks
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