No Cajun fried turkey, nor stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls or gravy this year. Instead, a 2 hour drive to Charlottesville in a car with only 3 working brakes and 187,000 miles to spend time with my wife in her hospital room, hoping that the dogs don't further trash the house in my absence.
IVs and catheters and the machine that goes "ping!", the quiet whoosh of the canula, the murmur from the nurse's station, the alcohol smell of the handwash will be the touchstones of future memory of our family's rotten luck during the holiday season.
In 1997 I too, was in a critical care unit after having my legs crushed by a semi, Thanksgiving was a no-go that year, and to add insult to injury, we were going to spend the holiday in Paris. At least I got out by New Year's Eve.
This year, my wife had post-surgery complications requiring an additional surgery and her insult to injury was sepsis.
That's not to say I'm not thankful. I didn't require an amputation of a limb, and Mrs. Hive is showing signs of improvement and will soon be able to come home and sleep in her own bed.
In fact, I am utterly grateful that in a couple of hours, I will be holding my wife's hand in a dimly lit room with the machine that goes "ping".
Sometimes you have to settle for and be grateful for the little things in life, but that doesn't mean they count any less.
Have a safe and happy holiday, and remember to drive slowly in parking lots.
