A Caregiver's Journal provides information, insight, enlightenment and shared experiences for new caregivers and encouragement for long time caregivers. The focus of this blog is our transition from empty nesters to caregivers for my god-sister, Gladys, a stroke survivor. RSS Subscribe to RSS

Our First Thanksgiving as Caregivers

IMG_0857 This year the Thanksgiving holiday will be very different for the Johnson household.  In the past we have chosen one of several options:

  • Cook a large meal at home and invite friends
  • Have dinner at a friends home
  • Travel to Nashville to have spend the holiday with family

This year we will have a small, intimate dinner at home – just me, Fred, Anita and Gladys.  Anita and I have decided that we are not interested in a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we are both tired of turkey and ham.  We have decided to have crab cakes and rack of lamb or lamb chops with peach cobbler and chocolate pie for dessert.

Since Gladys can’t walk up the stairs, we will set everything up downstairs so we can all have dinner together.  Just a simple, quiet day with the family.

A Few Things For Which We are Thankful:

  • Our health and strength
  • Our children are healthy, employed and living on their own
  • Our mothers are alive and well
  • We are able to take care of Gladys
  • We have a very supportive family

I am also thankful for each of you who continues to read this blog and leave comments from time to time.  Thank you for your support and for visiting.

With the current state of the economy, so many people have lost their jobs, homes and extraordinary losses in the stock market.   Those factors make it easy to wonder what we have to be thankful for.  My list is simple and what I believe is most important.  As long as we have our families, health and strength, we can continue to work toward everything else.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!


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Posted on : Nov 25 2008
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3 People have left comments on this post

Nov 25, 2008 - 09:11:10
Hattie said:

We will go to a cousin’s house for Thanksgiving. It’s always potluck, except for the turkey and mashed potatoes. The other guests are old friends who have no relatives here, and it’s fun to catch up on each other’s doings.
Later on in the season we will have visits from children and grandchildren.
Have a fine Thanksiving feast!
Aloha,
Marianna (aka “Hattie.”)

Nov 26, 2008 - 06:11:47
RhondaL said:

I’m thankful to feel good enough to be cooking our Thanksgiving meal for my husband and me. I have an inflammatory disorder in remission and have been feeling good. For the past several years, we’ve gone out to diners for our holiday meal. But not this year.

Anyway, your dinner sounds delicious. Have a lovely Thanksgiving.

Nov 26, 2008 - 08:11:19

@Hattie – Enjoy your cousins during this holidays. Family time is always a good thing.

@RhondaL – Remission is a wonderful, I pray that your remission becomes a permanent state. We never know how much the little things mean until we have to struggle to perform what used to be simple every day tasks.

Happy Holidays and blessings to you both.

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