My Mom has been in a serious decline the last month or so -- much weaker, more severe memory loss, more confusion -- and beginning Sunday, she was in bed most of the time and nearly incoherent. She wasn't even able to come down for the "When Swing Was King" performance we did at her nursing home on Tuesday. But then yesterday morning, she seemed to revive a bit and by the afternoon was ready and willing to head out the door for a Thanksgiving dinner with us!We went to her favorite restaurant (Summer Kitchen) and she ordered what has become her favorite meal: mashed potatoes and country gravy, three slices of burnt bacon, a buttered dinner roll and a couple of dessert pastries to take back home. She was still awfully weak and forgetful but Claire and I talked the evening away about Thanksgiving and Christmas memories. Mom loved it.
After those days when all we could do was sit by the bed holding her hand, the blessings of enjoying a meal together, talking and looking at the car lights moving along Maple Street were really wonderful.
I've had a lot of wonderful Thanksgiving days in my life with incredible menus -- but last night's Thanksgiving Eve dinner (Claire had a tuna sandwich and I had a hamburger) may well become my most memorable. Thanks, Lord.
