“I’m so thankful that you and your family could join us this year, Kari.”
“So am I, Mrs. Zale…more than I can possibly put into words.”
That heartfelt toast had capped off a very filling, very successful Thanksgiving dinner for Karianne Kayden. It was led by Erica Zale, the mother of her childhood friend turned high school sweetheart, Jeremy Zale. It made real something she thought she’d never experience again…a happy Thanksgiving feast.
Having just experienced it over the course of a very memorable Thanksgiving, Kari felt many emotions boil to the surface. She’d held back tears when Jeremy’s mother made that toast. She held back even more when her mother, a woman who’d spent the last three years recovering from a bitter divorce, stood up and hugged her friend and former college roommate. It was a powerful moment and one Kari still hadn’t processed.
“Being thankful on Thanksgiving again,” Kari pondered under her breath, “I almost forgot what it felt like. Just when I thought I’d never feel it again.”