Bittersweet - Freewrite

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Today, I am not going to time my freewrite. Maybe it will be long, maybe not but I don’t want the clock to dictate what I have to say. Just for today.

It is still Thanksgivings day here on the West Coast of the United States and as is the tradition, we came together as a family to celebrate the day.

I could get into the origins of this day and the many misinformation people have learned and taken as fact. But that really doesn’t matter. Today, this day, is established as being celebrated with a big meal.

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Many, hopefully, most Americans also take this day as an opportunity to reflect on all that is good in their lives and to express gratitude.

Some gather with their family, others chose to spend this day with a group of friends.

We gathered as a family. Something we frequently do - as a matter of fact, the whole clan had just gathered on Saturday - only five days ago - to celebrate the fourth birthday of one of our little dudes.

The clan is an extended family in a sense. Here are the usual participants and for some, this combination of people and relationships might seem a bit unusual.

Lets start with the newest generation - 3 little dudes. Ages 3,4, and 6.
The next generation: My three kids. Two are married. That makes a total of 5.
Now to the complicated generation: I am starting with me and my husband, my ex-husband and his wife, my daughter in laws mother and her husband (they just got married and we all celebrated together) and my daughter in laws father.
The older generation: Super Opa - my ex-husbands father. (Opa is the German word for grandpa and Oma for grandma. We call him super Opa instead of great-grandpa)

There you have it. That is the usual crew which comes together to celebrate holidays and birthdays, mother and father days and just days which seem a good day to come together.

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I think it is sweet that we all get along and enjoy each others company.

Today, for our Thanksgiving, we were also joined by my daughter in laws uncle and aunt who are here from Chicago. Her dad and her uncle are identical twins and they are very very close.

And today was in so many ways a bittersweet day. We were missing Super Oma, my sweet, sweet former mother in law who passed away a little over a year ago. Her and Super Opa were married for 61 years. She was a rare woman who never had anything bad to say about anyone.

But what made this day sweet and bittersweet is that my daughter in laws father is dying. He was able to hold off a disease for a while but the treatment stopped working and the increased doses made him very sick.

He decided to not take any more treatment and a few weeks ago, my daughter in law visited him to help clean his house. She realized that he couldn’t live alone anymore and brought him home with her.

Then she called his brother and told him that he needs to come now. They got a flight two weeks later. The arrived last week on Tuesday. The plan was that the brother and his wife would take the father back to his house which is a two hour drive away.

By the time they arrived, the father was not able to travel anymore and they all are staying at my son and daughter in laws. Her brother came for a few days to say his good byes. He is in the military and lives across the country. He only was able to take 5 days off. I cannot even imagine how he felt when he said goodbye knowing that this was the last time he will see his dad.

Saturday, at the birthday party, the dad was still able to walk a bit. Now, not so much. The decline in the few days is remarkable.

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But the sweet thing is that he is surrounded by his family. So many people who love him are by his side day and night.

It is sweet that we had lamb for our meal. The father grew up in an immigrant Greek household and lamb was the food of his childhood. He loves to eat it.

It is sweet for the uncle, his wife and my daughter in law that the kids are as goofy as ever and there is a lot of laughter in the house.

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