Decorating for the Thanksgiving Holiday

As I decorated for the fall season as I always do, I could help but feel the missing presence of my sister Mary Magdalene.

I remember at this time of the year when I would start to decorate for the fall and Christmas season; Mary would always be watching me from her lift chair and I would always ask her how the decorations looked.  I have a pumpkin that had small little lights all around it's eyes, nose and mouth that changes colors, along with a set of scarecrows that illuminate also in the same manner and would be placed in the living-room on small round tables.  I also had some collectable bears with a Fall theme from a famous coffee shop that I would place around the living room. “How this Kiddo?” as I would be placing the fall garland around the window, “It’s okay,”  replied Mary. 

 I would place the glass pumpkins, scarecrows on the deck’s ledge and sting up the foil garland and soft yellow lights around the deck.  “What do you Mamas, do you like it?” Mary would reply, “It’s okay.”

This year I didn’t have my sister around to ask for her expertise on how I was doing in decorating our parent's home. 

This was the first Thanksgiving without my sister Mary and my heart ached.  I wanted so much to see her face light up when she would eat the stuffing from my parent’s famous turkey and she loved cranberry sauce.  I miss her sitting down in the living room to watch football with my dad and brothers.  I miss asking her, “How you doing Mamas?” and hearing her say, “I’m okay.”  Mary’s smile would tell me that she was more then just “okay”.   She loved Thanksgiving because that was a time to soak up being surrounded by the family she so truly loved.  I know she loved to see the decorations of the holiday.  She would putter around in her walker just to see the decorations that lit up the deck of our parent’s home.  As she stood at the sliding window of the deck, I would ask her, “Do you like it?” she would reply, “Yep, it looks nice Emils!” and would stare at the flickering candle light of the glass pumpkins and warm yellow lights that lit up the deck for the evening.

This year was very different since Mary left us, I know she is in a better place but I sure miss her!  I miss you Mamas!  It doesn’t feel the same, it feels like something is missing and when I turn to see what is missing, I realize that it is you.  I know decorating won’t feel the same because your not here to give me you expertise in decorating.  However, because I love you and because I know how much you enjoyed seeing the decorations of the season I will continue to do it.  I know you are watching us from heaven and I just wanted to let you know that I will always decorate for the holidays.  I love you Mary Magdalene, I always have and I always will.  I am thankful that you are my sister and I had 34 beautiful years of living and loving you.