Our family rents a hall with a kitchen, and everyone in the family is invited to it...the people we seldom see, the ones we see to much, and even the ones nobody likes LOL
Huge feed, with plenty of left overs to take home for everyone! It is by far the best family day of the year, Christmas doesn't even come close to it!
It is great to see how the youngsters have grown, and hear the stories, good or bad, about the family!
However this is why it is such a great day for us...
Several years ago an elderly man, who just lost his wife and was all alone, wandered in the Hall, thinking it was a meal for the elderly sponsored by the community...
After a brief look around the room he realized it was private and headed for the door, when my sister in law stopped him and asked him if something was wrong....After he explained his mistake, she said "OK, but that isn't any reason to leave until you have had a good meal, your more than welcome here family or not".
Long story short, we also do this on Christmas(smaller scale), and for the next 3 years this man showed up to everyone of these as if he was family, which he honestly was to us since the 1st day...
A few years ago he didn't show, it was the main topic of the dinner for we feared the worst, and after weeks of reaching out we found out he had in fact passed away!
Now every family suffers losses, and it hurts, but this mans passing really hurt us all because we were glad to be there for him, but he will never know how much his presence there, made us feel good about ourselves, because that is what Thanksgiving is all about! We miss him to this day!
On the down side of it, in 2014 my wife who had been ill for 6 yrs. went into a coma on Thanksgiving night, and passed 2 weeks later....2015 the best dog I ever had, or will ever have, was ill and had to be put to sleep on Thanksgiving eve and I still miss him!
2016 I was fully prepared and dead set on going to the local hospitals emergency room after the meal and sitting there, "just in case"! But my kids wouldn't allow it...
2017 one of my sister in laws passed last weekend, however I will still have a First Aid kit, heart pills, oxygen, and paddles, close at hand, and will not drive over 20mph tomorrow, you know, just in case! LOL
Happy Thanksgiving to all!