THANKSGIVING: You're not alone

As a daughter sits alone in her dining room

So a father does at his home,

As a mother lays in her bed

So a wife prepares her thanksgiving dinner for one.

All together they are different,

All together they are the same,

Separate in their circumstances,

But shared together in their grief and pain.

As a daughter waits by the kitchen door,

Remembering how her mother would wait for her,

So a father checks his empty mailbox,

Hoping for just one more holiday letter.

As a mother finishes her dishes,

Wishing her son to ask for seconds,

So a wife sits alone on her porch,

Amidst the star scattered heavens.

All together alone

In their pain during the holiday season,

Enduring through every moment of silence

For their lost mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, wives and husbands.

With mindfulness and care therefore I extend

My sincere wish for all those who are alone,

Know many will be there for you this holiday season,

And together we will celebrate the legacy of your loved ones.

SASHA FISHER

Coeur d’Alene