We had a REALLY great time over Thanksgiving and the following week. We drove to Indiana to spend Thanksgiving with my mom's best friend, "Aunt Pat" and "Uncle Don". It was such a sweet time. Mom and Aunt Pat have been friends for as long as I can remember. Because of this our families have always been close, even though over the years we "kids" stayed up on each other only via Mom and Aunt Pat. We had a reunion about 7 or 8 years ago when almost all of us kids were able to attend. But some of us hadn't seen each other in decades.
The Thanksgiving plan was hatched over the phone when son, Doug, made a very kind and sweet call, talking to each of my brothers and I the day after Mom passed away. It was such a special call because he relayed to me how much our family has meant to him and how much he loved "Aunt Gloria". I told him the same was true of his parents for me and that I intend to make sure to keep in contact with them, even hoping to visit sometime. He said, "Oooh! Come at Thanksgiving! We'll all be there! Seriously, talk to Mom about it when she's there."
Aunt Pat, Uncle Don, and Cindy came for Mom's funeral. It meant so much to have them there. Eventually and a little sheepishly, I mentioned the Thanksgiving suggestion, first to Cindy, who excitedly agreed. When I brought it up (as Doug's idea) to Aunt Pat, she was all in favor of it. I had visions of both my brothers and families coming as well. What a special first Thanksgiving without Mom that would make. As it turned out my husband and I were the only ones able to make the trip.
We arrived in Indiana the afternoon before Thanksgiving. It was cold, rainy and windy outside,
but inside, the house was cozy and warm, beautiful and welcoming.
They made us feel right at home and we had two days that were so warm and comfortable with this fun family.
And what an artistic family this is. Paintings, etchings, sculptures, stained glass, needlepoint, jewelry, photography, piano, guitar, voice.
While it's the people that made all our Thanksgiving visits special, I won't post pictures of them here. Instead I'll share the surroundings.
During the Indiana portion of our great Thanksgiving trip, I tried to get pictures of some of the coziness, the talent, and the beauty outside.
Being with Mom's best friend made this a very special Thanksgiving for me. It helped take the sting out of the first Thanksgiving without Mom. I'm thankful to my husband for giving this to me when we went on to West Virginia to see his family after Thanksgiving. Thanks, Hon. And thanks, Indiana "family", for such a nice time with you.
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