This year was quiet in comparison to other Thanksgiving celebrations. I thought my reflections of the day would be a good blog topic. There were only four of us, including my 2-year-old grandson who ate a ton of green beans. I love that he enjoys veggies as much as I do.

Today I have had a lot of texts from family and friends across the US. I have had a couple of e-mails from close family members who are also remembering previous holidays shared together. Has COVID numbed us to the changes that have occurred in our group gatherings? It doesn’t sting quite as much this year. Should I be happy about that or concerned?

One of our friends from my husband’s car club came over this afternoon for a plate of food and some company. His wife and teenage son are out of town visiting other relatives while he works this week. It felt great being able to open our home to a friend who would otherwise be alone. We shared stories and laughs. We sent him home with a plate of food for later. I am thankful we could do that for our friend.

I spoke with my mom this morning. We always “turkey call” each other. This time after I hung up I realized she had not “gobble, gobble, gobbled” over the phone to me so I called her back and asked her to gobble to me. She did and then we both laughed. See, it is those little moments that make up the traditions in my life. I hate to think of the day that those traditions die when my mom is no longer around. She has been the one constant in my life allowing me the freedom to “just be me.” She loves me unconditionally.

As I look around my living room post-dinner I see toys strewn on the floor, football playing on TV, my husband napping in the recliner, and my daughter and grandson quietly playing together. I am sprawled on the couch, with a full belly and a book in hand, feeling sleepy and satisfied… already wondering what Hallmark movie I will be watching tonight.

When I think back on memorable holiday gatherings I remember the time we had an early snowstorm, lost power and I cooked our side dishes outside on the grill. My son-in-law fried the turkey that year. It was delicious. A few of our guests could not get out of their driveway to come to visit. Ten years ago our oldest daughter was hugely pregnant with her first child, our first grandson. She went into labor the next day and we stayed up almost all night waiting for the call to say the baby had arrived. It was the happiest tired I have ever been. That grandson turned 10 today!

I enjoyed all the games of “Dictionary” we played after dinner and the ensuing laughs that had us dissolving into tears. My family members are a pretty smart group so lots of the definitions they came up with were worded just so that it was sometimes difficult to pick out the fake meanings of the chosen word for that round of play. We still laugh about the definition that one of our quieter family members wrote describing something as a type of “cheesy horny bread”. To this day I have no idea what the actual word was but I sure remember that definition.

This year the only games we are playing involve plastic trucks being rolled on the floor or chasing after my grandson in the backyard. And that is okay. This is a different year. I am simply happy to be able to gather.

So, for now, I will reflect. I don’t feel so sad this year. It is more of a resignation to this is just the way things are right now. Maybe I am learning to live in the moment? That’s a good topic for another discussion.