We had been prepping for this day for a while now. I think we all wanted a sort of redemption for the horrible holiday season of last year. The biggest thing affecting the holidays last year was obviously the pandemic. On a more personal level, the holidays last year were derailed by my dad having to be rushed to the emergency room on Thanksgiving morning. He spent a week in the hospital at the time and what made it worse is that no visitors were allowed. The aweful winter surge was just beginning. So understandably, this year we wanted it to be much better.

This year, all of the family gathered and for the most part it was a great Thanksgiving. I even got to celebrate it twice! My dad unfortunately was not feeling well and was looking rather pale. We ended up taking him to the emergency room again the following morning and he spent 1 day in the hospital. It was not as scary as the previous time, but it was worrisome nonetheless. Turned out it was a complication from a side effect of a couple of medicines, but he is now home and well.

I did not get a chance to reflect on what I was thankful for on Thanksgiving Day this year. So I will do it here. I am grateful that my dad is still going strong at 95 years old, and that my family always comes together in times of need. We are united and we are strong.