This Thanksgiving, my thoughts are with my older brother and his family. He's been in the intensive care unit of his local hospital since last Friday with blood clots in both lungs (a complication of having casts on both legs after falling in October and tearing ligaments in both knees). He's awake and alert, sitting up and talking – for which I'm thankful to whatever power or powers there may be – but he's got to remain in bed, monitored 24/7, waiting for the clots to dissolve and hoping that they don't dislodge instead and travel to other vital organs like his heart or his brain! So I'm thankful that the paramedics got him to the hospital before he passed out, or worse, and I'm thankful that all of this happened after my sister-in-law had recuperated somewhat from her hysterectomy in October (and after my niece, their daughter, recuperated somewhat from her appendectomy, also in October!), and I'm thankful that my brother has a good, steady, professional job with insurance that'll cover all the medical setbacks that his family has had over the last two months!
So Thanksgiving dinner is going to be a low-key affair this year (just my other brother, my father and myself, eating a pre-cooked meal ordered from the local supermarket, and then visiting my hospitalized bro while he eats hospital food) but that's the least of my concerns right now. I'm just pulling for my brother to pull through this! If any of you feels like sending up a prayer for him, or a healing thought or whatever ya got, I surely would appreciate it. Thank you!
I wish all the best to all of you this holiday season. For you especially, Stephen, and for your family, I hope you'll find strength and comfort in one another and in the memories of happy times that you've shared with Patricia.