Turkey Day

I have always looked forward to Thanksgiving because 1. I love eating (carbs!) and 2. It means my birthday! You may have forgotten that there is in fact a holiday between Halloween and Christmas since Christmas commercials and music flooded the airways on November 1st. Too early if you ask me, but maybe that is because I like Thanksgiving and it always feels like a little bit of an overlooked holiday. With stores now opening on Thanksgiving day, some people get so worked up about Black Friday shopping that they don't really even pay attention to Thanksgiving and just go through the motions. People spend the day being grateful for their blessings then a few hours later they're part of a mob at WalMart trampling people while trying to get a flat screen TV. Don't get me wrong - I have plenty of material possessions (flat screen TV included) but it just seems a little contradictory to have this day of thanks followed by the biggest shopping day of the year. I am all for some good retail therapy, but when it comes down to it, my things and my money are not what make me happy.

I didn't realize it until I experienced it first hand, but the holidays can be an awful time of year for people and can fill them with dread rather than excitement. There are so many out there who are sick and wonder if this will be their last Christmas with their family. There are lots of families who lost loved ones around this time of year and instead of feeling joy, they feel the void of that missing family member. Sadly, there are people who have no family or loved ones and this time of year is just a stinging reminder of how lonely they are. I am not saying this to try to put a guilt trip on anyone; I always thought of the holidays as a happy time that everyone loved so it was very eye opening to see it from the other side of the spectrum.

Last Thanksgiving just felt weird... I don't know a better word to use to describe it. We got together as a family, but a lot of it was a blur to me because I think I spent most of the time crying. We got nailed with so many firsts right off the bat - Thanksgiving, my birthday, my parents anniversary, Jess's birthday, Jenn's birthday, Christmas, New Years, Greg's Birthday. Phew. I honestly didn't know how to feel about Thanksgiving this year. It was always like "my" holiday since it is always close to my birthday but I wasn't looking forward to it like I usually do. I think I was really worried it would feel like it did last year. We got together today to celebrate; having 2 sisters that are nurses, we frequently do our holidays not on the actual day because of work schedules, so my actual Thanksgiving will probably be a quiet day at home. In recent years, we used to go to the nursing home to visit my grandma and my uncle, but that is not an option this year. My grandma passed away at the end of February, and my uncle exactly 3 months later. There has been a lot of death in the family and the holidays can make it really depressing to think about how much things can change so quickly.

I had a nice time today with my family and I'm grateful that we got to spend this time together. Tomorrow and this weekend might be tough, or they might not be. It could go either way. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a restful weekend. I encourage you to think of someone who might be hurting this holiday season - a friend with mental health issues, a co-worker who lost a loved one, a church friend who is ill, etc. and encourage them. Your kind gesture will be appreciated 💜😊✨

Happy Thanksgiving from the Oehme kids!

I am always thankful for these 2 nuggets ❤ See the heart mark on Beamer?

I never use Snapchat, but the filters come in handy for entertaining my nephews!