Our younger son drove home from college earlier this week with the flu. Five hours alone in the car with fever, chills, body aches, he drove directly to the doctor, then home and into bed. He spent two days in his room letting Tamiflu do its thing, and felt significantly better Wednesday evening.
To be safe, he opted to stay in his room on Thanksgiving for six hours so his 101-year-old great aunt could enjoy a meal with the family. We brought plates of food to him throughout the day and he ate alone, with his bedroom door open so he could hear the dinner conversation downstairs.
Our older son will be turning twenty-three in a few days, so his grandmothers brought him a birthday cake. Great Aunt Virginia gave a special solo performance of the Happy Birthday song that nearly brought him to tears.
When everyone left last night and the house was quiet, my husband and I joined the boys in the den to watch Ted Lasso, which we’ve all seen except for the one who had stayed in his room. We didn’t mind. We missed spending the day with him. And it’s a series worth watching again.
As I write this, the memories still fresh, I am filled with gratitude for so much in my life. For our sons, who consistently demonstrate kindness and compassion, for our parents, who we’re so lucky to still have, for family members who share our holidays and special memories, for Aunt Virginia, who is still singing, for our friends who reached out throughout the day, and for my husband, the perfect host partner and my best friend.
I hope you all had a Thanksgiving filled with good memories, love, family, and friendship.
kimberlywenzler 