I was so happy to see mama. There’s nothing like hugs from mama to make you feel better. Of course, the first item of business was modeling the new hair, etc. Everything got rave reviews, except for one hat of which Gary was not especially fond. He’s very honest. That’s a good thing because I know he liked everything else since he voiced his dislike of the black hat. Katie liked it and told him that it would be good for boating. Katie had spoken. Enough said about that.

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day – I woke up feeling great! I was so excited. I showered and dressed without much resting and felt too cute in my little black tights and khaki skirt. I was ready to entertain. Gary’s mom joined us for Thanksgiving. We had the most wonderful time. I ate very little (just in case) but enjoyed the opportunity to share the day with my family. Speaking of not eating, I weighed in nine pounds lighter on Thanksgiving morning than I had the previous Thursday (Chemo Day). As my friend, fellow English teacher, and confidante Kelly Johnson reminds me, there are good things associated with chemo. (She is developing a list.)

My family cooked an amazing Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. I helped very little. My contribution this year was the entertainment. Before dinner, I announced that I would share a poem written by Alice Walker entitled, “We Alone.” Everyone groaned, but they respectfully listened.

We Alone

We alone can devalue gold
by not caring
if it falls or rises
in the marketplace.
Wherever there is gold
there is a chain, you know,
and if your chain
is gold
so much the worse
for you.

Feathers, shells
and sea-shaped stones
are all as rare.

This could be our revolution:
to love what is plentiful
as much as
what's scarce.

With a little help from Alice, I challenged everyone at the table to see life in a “revolutionary” way—“to love what is plentiful as much as what’s scarce.” Throughout the meal, each person’s mission was to think of something specific he or she was grateful for about each person at the table, something “plentiful” in that individual. After dinner, we each selected six “sea-shaped stones” from the centerpiece (a bone-white platter embossed with the words “I am thankful for each person who is gathered here today” with a black soy-candle burning in the center). With silver Sharpies, each person wrote the person’s name and the quality they were thankful for and signed the back of the stone. We went around the table five times, each individual expressing gratitude for the others at the table. We laughed and cried and even laughed until we cried. The last stone was reserved as the “family stone.” Each person wrote the one word that characterized what we mean to each other as a family. Everyone said that the hardest part was selecting just one word. Of course, the English teacher in me was delighted to hear such conversation, and I underscored the emphasis on word choice—it was a great lesson in diction! (There were whispers around the dining room table such as, “She really needs to get back to work.”) Oh well. What better way to end the perfect Thanksgiving Day than with a family that declares itself loving, close, happy, joyous, and bonded by true unconditional love.