Thanksgiving reminds us of the importance of place

During this time of the year, I think of the people I would like to sit with at the Thanksgiving dinner table. The people that are now gone but still have a place. More than anything we want in life is to have a place.

Each year, one of the brothers in the family volunteers to host Thanksgiving. It’s a nice thing to do even if that brother and his family have to be the ones that end up doing all the set up and all the cleaning. They have a place for us, and that’s what matters.

I live in a different town than the rest of my family so I don’t get the blessing of hosting, and setting up, and cleaning. I get to show up with my side dish and eat. There is a place for me, no matter what brother’s house is hosting the dinner.

Nana Rafaela, dad’s mom, always had a place. She’s no longer here, but she still has one. I’ll never forget the really long prayers we always knew were coming when we’d get together in a large circle. We held hands and closed our eyes. A blessing of the food and a prayer from Nana who through her many words and tears showed us that we all had a place in her heart.

The prayers went on and on, but I would give anything to hold hands with her again, listening to all her petitions. Each of us in the family was named. We all mattered. During one of her final Thanksgiving…