It was our first Thanksgiving in the new house and I wanted everything to be perfect. But my plan for everyone to contribute some preparation work had been 1 by my husband's business trip. Even worse, a critical project for me that week had2two days of planned vacation. By Wednesday, my vision of a table with fresh flowers, 3drinking glasses and various homemade desserts had already4 away, I just hoped that I'd find a clean tablecloth and eight5forks.
In my perfect Thanksgiving, there wouldn't be any orange in my salad because It hadn't made the grocery list. There would be no perfect family photos to record that day because I hadn't got the broken camera6. Someone had brought home the wrong toilet paper, which was the last straw that made me7.
I don't remember what my son asked me as he was vacuuming(吸尘), 8I do remember twisting into that mean-and-tight mom-face before barking out an 9. This combination of noise and anger is a universal signal to kids everywhere that they might as well 10 me. But he didn't.
Instead of disappearing from view, my second-grader turned 11 the vacuum and walked across the room to12me. He never said a word. He just13 his arms around me, making me feel 14of myself until today.
It turned out a(n)15 Thanksgiving. The people I loved gathered around my table and dined just one choice of the pie. My dad used a mismatched fork without 16. My daughter drew a picture of us where everyone smiled.
My son took a(n)17 to teach me that sometimes we need a hug most when we are 18huggable. This is the best gift you can give. One size19 all and no one ever minds if you 20 .
