Thanksgiving Week

I love Thanksgiving week. It's one of my favorite weeks of the year. I say that every year. It's true. It's got a different rhythm and feel to it and it's all holidayish.
My work week is shorter. I have my regular schedule of classes tomorrow and on Tuesday I have parent teacher conferences from noon to 7pm. I had to squeeze in another meeting on Tuesday, so I am actually going to start at 10:30.
Once I get home from work on Tuesday night, it'll officially be Thanksgiving.
It will be different this year. I am adjusting to that.
It'll be a smaller group for dinner this year. I think it's only 9 of us. Lauren and Brendan are planning on stopping in on the early end. Paul (Jack's brother) and Bucky will be in Florida, Wayne and Julie are going to her folks in Cleveland, Sally, Matt and Ellie are going to his family's for dinner but are coming over later, Arne, Beth, Abbie and Nina are going to her family's, and the rest of the folks? Well, they are dead. There is no tone of voice in the printed word so I hope you know that I say this with the utmost respect and love and resignation.
At Thanksgiving 2011, four people were here at our house who are no longer on this earth. Mike, Marmar, Marie and Susie.
We are still kinda adjusting to that. Probably always will be as we are still rationalizing Pawp, Dane and Tom's absences.
In terms of Wayne and Sally celebrating with their new families, I really do not have a problem with that. I am thrilled that they both have wonderful in-laws and are creating new traditions with their spouses. That's what it is all about. Both my parents and Jack's parents gave us the freedom to do that and I have never taken that for granted.
We are extremely blessed to have such wonderful people in our family. We feel their love and presence whether they are here in our living room drinking Chandon or whether they are somewhere else on this Earth or in Heaven.
The only question is: who is going to put the chocolate turkeys on the table???