We're Gonna Get Through This

Last Thanksgiving was the first major holiday without my dad, and even though we still had a lot to be thankful for, my mom, sister, and I weren't feeling particularly festive. My mom was less affected mainly due to her preoccupation with preparing the entire meal: turkey, potatoes, pies, salads, etc. My sister and I, however, were acutely aware that something big was missing, and we weren't quite sure how we were going to get through it. Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while peeling potatoes just wasn't the same without him. Carrying up folding chairs from the basement wasn't the same without him. Moving all our cars to make room for our relatives wasn't the same without him. Regardless, it had to be done. Allison hopped in my jeep with me so we could move it to the garage in the back, and when I turned on the radio, "Gonna Get Through This" came on the radio. We looked at each other, cranked the stereo, and drove around the block 11 times so we could listen to the whole song. It wasn't the greatest Thanksgiving of our lives, but we managed to choke down some mashed potatoes, and then Al and I feel asleep on her bed for 3 hours while the "grown ups" played cards, discussed medical ailments, and eventually distributed leftovers and went home. I'm not sure what the point of this anecdote is.. something hallmark about "getting through" hard times with the help of outdated UK pop stars, I suppose. Yeah, I'll leave you with this: