For that, I am Thankful by Darcie Sims

Jimmy read this at our Thanksgiving dinner. I found it on the internet, (specifically on the young widow site) and thought the sentiment was perfect. This year we could not offer the traditional thanks that "we are all together," since a very important person was absent from our Thanksgiving gathering for the first time. We still have plenty to be thankful for, though. I think this poem says it all.

For That, I am Thankful
by Darcie D. Sims

It doesn't seem to get any better...
but it doesn't get any worse, either.
For that, I am thankful.

There are no more pictures the be taken...
but there are memories to be cherished.
For that, I am thankful.

There is a missing chair at the table...
but the circle of family gathers, close.
For that, I am thankful.

The turkey is smaller...
but there is still stuffing.
For that, I am thankful.

The days are shorter...
but the nights are softer.
For that, I am thankful.

The calendar still turns, the holidays still appear and they still cost too much...
but I am still here.
For that, I am thankful.

The room is still empty, the soul still aches...
but the heart remembers.
For that, I am thankful.

The guests still come, the dishes pile up...
but the dishwasher works.
For that, I am thankful.

The name is still missing, the words unspoken...
the silence is shared.
For that, I am thankful.

The stillness remains...
but the sadness is smaller.
For that, I am thankful.

The moment is gone...
but the love is forever.
For that, I am blessed.
For that, I am grateful...
Love was once (and still is)
a part of my being...
for that, I am living.
I am living...and for that I am thankful.

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May your holidays be filled with reasons to be thankful. Having loved and having been loved is perhaps the most wondrous reason of all.
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(The photo was taken on Thanksgiving 1995. John Henry doesn't look very thankful, does he?)