Our Different Thanksgiving

How strange a Holiday it was. I spent many more moments giving thanks to the Lord, as it cheered me.It was the first holiday without mom. Originally we planned on taking Nicole out after she finished her shift at 2 pm. Her fiance' is visiting his father in Virginia so she was to be alone for the evening so we had planned on the hour drive. Nicole called on Wednesday, excited about an invitation to dinner with friends, so we didn't make that drive.

Leo had decided days earlier that we should take an elderly brain injured gentleman out to eat in the morning. So that commitment remained and we left at 8:00 am to drive to the city the gentleman was in. Now it may sound strange to treat this man, who today has no memory of our outing, to a meal on the town, but his delight made it worth it. He wanted to go out for steak and eggs, so we proceeded to a local establishment known for its breakfasts. He opened doors for me, rushed to help me out of the vehicle, a perfect gentleman. At other times, Leo had to remind him that his off-color jokes were not appropriate.

While we waited for our meal this man, a man that cannot function on his own to do needed daily activities, delighted me with card tricks and even showed me how he palmed the cards. When our meals came, we enjoyed a leisurely meal, waiting for our guest to slowly finish. When he was done, he was thrilled to show me how he had managed to eat his entire meal with the one tooth in his mouth.

Then our guest asked if we could stay at the restaurant and play some cards for a while. Having no other plans, we indulged the card player until we suddenly realized at 11:30 am, there were no other customers in the restaurant. Deciding to pack up and leave, I thanked the hostess and commented on the empty dining room. She informed me that they had closed at 11:00! When I scolded her for not letting us know, she smiled and looked at our guest and said she knew we were enjoying ourselves.

Driving back to the group, for about the tenth time that day, our guest commented on how much he enjoyed himself and thanked us.

I am thankful that the Lord planted the idea of of this outing to my husband. He often volunteers with this man, but the Holiday was a special outing. It provided a much needed distraction and a very different, but Blessed, Thanksgiving Day