Thanks, Mom

Thanksgiving has been a hard day for me since my mom passed away.  Today I'm thankful for the last lesson she taught me:  life is short, and every day matters.

As a kid, Thanksgiving was "our" holiday, the one where we were the hosts for Mom's family.  This is what it looked like.

(Got my best side)

I have a lot of great memories of Mom and I having rare one-on-one time every year on Thanksgiving morning, the two of us working together after my paper route was finished and everyone else was still sleeping.  With six kids in the family, there wasn't much time that it was just the two of us.

Every year on Thanksgiving I find myself irritable, usually getting into arguments over stupid stuff with my wife, etc.  I'm getting better at focusing on enjoying the good memories instead of thinking about the loss, but it's still a tough day.  

It's a tough day, but it's one day closer to the end of my life, so I'm going to keep making the most of every one.  Happy Thanksgiving!