First day of Thanksgiving Week

This is Sunday, the first day of Thanksgiving week ... this year, also the first day of Rick and Mandy’s birthday week. 
When Rick and I got married, he told me that he was not a “big holiday person”. 
He wasn’t a “Bah-hum-bug”, but he just wasn’t into the commercialization of the holidays.
But he told me that I could do whatever I wanted for any of the holidays, or for none of them. 
That he would help - and taste ;) ,
and that he would make sure I had the money and resources to do whatever I could dream up. 
He was absolutely true to his word. 
We decided together that Thanksgiving would be an open door to anyone who wanted to come,
and that we would invite - “the more, the merrier”! 
And that Christmas would be our little family day, we would not go anywhere. 
It would just be a quiet day at the house. 
If someone wanted to come over, they were more than welcome to, but we would not have a big cooking day. 
We also decided that instead of celebrating birthdays just on the day of birth,
we would celebrate the whole week that the birthday was in for that year. 
The only “holidays” that Rick truly celebrated was May 3, in his words, “The birth day of my Beloved”; 
and September 5, the day of “his greatest gift besides his salvation” - our wedding anniversary. 
He nearly always managed to be off work on both of those days, often taking a day of vacation. 
We never had a lot of money,
but we were both creative and somehow always managed to buy the kids presents, decorate the house,
and have the food we chose for that year. 

My memories are working over time today. 
Remembering all those years together.
The different menus.
The baking, and how he loved to lick the beaters and bowl. 
Then as the kids got old enough, they wanted to help -
so there was plenty of laughter in “helping” clean the bowl! 
The music playing in the kitchen.
How he would come up behind me, wrap his arms around my waist and dance to the music. 
- I at first thought it was so sweet, but I quickly found out that it was his way of sneaking a bite! Lol 
The look on his face when I would scoop him out a taste of whatever I was cooking and hand it to him.
The smile and the “mmmmm...that’s good!” 
The long walks we would find the time to take on a back country road,
or if the weather didn’t permit a walk, the long country drive - 
- just to get me out of the kitchen for a little while. 
The smell of cleaners as we worked together to get the house ready for our guests. 
And that moment when all the baking was done,
the dinner was ready,
and I would step outside to the porch for a breath of fresh air - 
- he would wait a few minutes letting me breathe and get centered ... 
Then he would come up beside me. 
Put his arm around me.
Pull me close to him.
The sweetest and most tender forehead kiss. 
And with a husky voice filled with emotion: “You done good, girl.” 
I would look up into his eyes,
​and see nothing but pure love and acceptance there. 
God in Heaven - I miss that man! 
I miss everything about our life together. 
Every. Day. 
But this day, on this first day of this week? 
I didn’t think I could miss him more ...
But. I. Do. 
I love you Rick. 
Thank you for these memories.