It has always been our tradition to travel for Thanksgiving. Instead of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we have local cuisine. Thanksgiving 2014 was 2 months after my husband passed away. We had planned a trip to Costa Rica for Thanksgiving but unfortunately Jared passed away in September. The trip was already planned and paid for but I told my son I thought we should stay home. I didn't think I could take the trip without my husband. But my son really wanted to go, he truly believed my husband would not want us to stay home. Packing for the trip was so very difficult. I remember calling a girl friend and telling her I just couldn't do it. And she said, very wisely, whether you go or stay home it's going to be hard. So we went. And on Thanksgiving, I forced myself to write a gratitude list so I could see all my blessings in the midst of my grief. My son was right, it was exactly what my husband would have wanted us to do.
Last year, we decided to stay home. We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends who are like family and they were so sweet and left a place setting at the table for Jared. So that we would all know he is still part of us and that his memory is always welcome. And it was a wonderful day. It was a perfect way to celebrate a day of gratitude while remembering Jared.
But this year we will honor our tradition of traveling over Thanksgiving by taking a cruise through the Panama Canal. While we enjoyed being home last year and celebrating with our friends, for us Thanksgiving equals travel. So we're going to continue our tradition of traveling some place new, eating local cuisine, and making lots of wonderful memories. All while remembering past Thanksgivings.
Making new memories.
Honoring old traditions.
Giving thanks.
Living life.
Keeping Jared's spirit alive.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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