I thought it was going to be a pretty dreary Thanksgiving. There's no one left for the big family feast except my husband, my mother and me. The kids have moved thousands of miles away, the relatives are dead or moved away, it's just the three of us left.

So Frank and I went as usual to the local soup kitchen, which we always do on the holidays, to sing a few songs and play some guitar and banjo for the folks dining there. We got there a half hour late, and as we walked in, I heard several regulars say, "Here they are! They are here after all!" And many came up to us after we had played for an hour or so and said, "It wouldn't have been Thanksgiving without you two and your music. Thank you." I'm so grateful to have this chance to be so welcomed and to share our music with people who find such joy in hearing it.

Afterwards, we went to my mother's house. She's getting quite old but insisted on making a turkey feast for the three of us, and it was wonderful. My husband worked outside getting her "house in order" for the winter, while I did things inside. We had long telephone visits with the distant sons and brothers, and sat together for one more holiday. Sure, there were people missing from the table, but we were so grateful to be there with each other.

So we had two Thanksgiving feasts in one day.

May we all realize how much we have to be thankful for every day.