We are about to enter the Fast Forward part of the year.  I, for one, can’t believe we have reached the end of November!  And that there are only five minutes until Christmas!

Okay, I’ll put away the exclamation marks, but seriously, five minutes until Christmas?

I know that there are people (I have close relatives in this group) who have already completed their holiday shopping. Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you, as long as you help me wrap my presents on December 24.

But before I get on the festive treadmill, I would like to take a moment to be grateful.  This year has not been an easy one for our family.  The loss of our dear sister Billie leaves a huge hole in all of our lives.  Yet I feel so blessed that we got to spend so much time together in the months before her passing.

How I cherish the memory of those long phone conversations with her, when we discussed everything from family life to the latest movies.  We solved all the world’s problems in those talks and still had lots of laughs.

And how wonderful to remember our trips to Florida  to see her over the past two years. How surprised she was when a gang of us New Yorkers showed up for her birthday last year.  That was such fun. I still smile when I recall the time she said she would give my granddaughter Adeline ten dollars if she jumped into the water fountain at a park, which Adeline, of course, did. 

For ten dollars Adeline would have jumped into a manhole!  Billie was always the semi-innocent life of the party.

I’m thankful that Billie’s suffering is over even though we all miss her dearly. I feel blessed that she was my sister and that I had a ringside seat for so many of her antics over the years.  She was a true original.

This Thanksgiving, I choose to remember all the great times we had together and smile at the memories that we shared. And I’m sure that as our families gather for their Thanksgiving celebrations, we will be joined by the spirit, not just of Billie, but also the family members who have gone before us and whose work, sacrifices, and dedication brought us to this day of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers!