Thanksgiving?" I asked my friend.
The widower choked up.
"With my daughter, if I survive it," he
Said.
It's his first holiday without his dearest
One, and his grief is still so intense.
I tried to console him.
"I found that sometimes the days we
Dread the most aren't quite as bad
As we thought, because we mentally
Prepare for them."
"I hope that's true," he answered.
"I'll pray for you."
"Thanks, I need it."
Today I pray for comfort and
Courage for the Georges, the
Dianes, the Jims, the Joys who
Will sit around the table today
Acutely aware of one less chair.