Thanksgiving Will Never Be the Same.

My fondest memories of the family's Thanksgiving. My brother and the male cousins in the family would stay over at Grandpa's place to help cook the main courses which usually consisted of a pig, and sometimes, also a turkey. A pig is what the NC version of BBQ is known or as it is spelled in the region 'Barbecue'. Sometimes it is referred to as a 'Pig Pickin'. Chopped pork spiced to perfection waiting to be devoured the next day along with the side dishes prepared by the rest of the family. It has been a tradition on my mom's side of the family for as long as I can remember. Watching Grandpa stoke the fires, while we all caught up on what we had been up to since we last saw each other. Going to bed for basically what would normally consist of a nap and waking up early to have breakfast and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and look for that Santa Claus at the end to usher in the next holiday. All of this will now be a very fond memory for me because this past weekend I got the sad news that my grandpa had passed away. One of the drawbacks of living so far away from home is the inability to see the family in times like these. Earlier in the week I was having waves of emotions. One minute I would be OK and the next I would automatically be sad. Then my emotion wall comes up only to be squashed by something as simple as the Coldplay song "Fix You". I have always liked that song except for Monday when it came on the radio at work. Tears streamed down my face during the chorus. Since it wasn't practical for me to go to the funeral I chose my own way of saying goodbye. I decided I would toast a glass of whiskey Coke (the drink I remember him drinking at Thanksgiving) in his honor. I'll probably end up doing it a few times this week. I raise the glass to the sky and nod my head in acknowledgement. Perhaps not the best way to say goodbye but it's one that I think will work. Symbolism is the key to that one I believe. It really is difficult to say goodbye sometimes. I'm even having trouble typing it right now. . . Here goes. Goodbye Grandpa L.K., Thanksgiving will never be the same.