One Month

The first month, first Thanksgiving Day Parade, and first family tradition without my father.

One Month
Photo by Autumn Mott Rodeheaver / Unsplash

My father died one month ago today. I don't know where the time went.

Four days ago, I watched the Thanksgiving parade with tears in my eyes and a strong yearning in my chest. Memories of waking up on Thanksgiving morning to my father switching back and forth between parade coverage on NBC and CBS filled my mind. I vividly remember how he yelled for my brothers and me to come in when Santa was about to appear on the screen. It meant we could finally talk about Christmas out loud after secretly making Christmas lists since July.

Thanksgiving was hard this year, as I imagine it will be for years to come. But despite everything that's happened over the past few months, I haven't lost touch with what I'm most thankful for. So, I've decided to honor this day by listing the people and things I appreciate most in my life.