Thanksgiving with Pookie

(Topic: holidays, grief, Pookie)

Hi Friends!

Overall, this was an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Pookie was dressed and ready for the occasion!

I couldn't resist this little suit! Unfortunately the turkey beanie didn't fit his head without looking ridiculous, so he asked if he could wear a different hat that matches the suit. I got out all the other hats he had that might coordinate, and he picked his cap with his initials :)

There are a couple of downsides to Thanksgiving, for me. One is that it usually ends up being a pretty full room of people, and I get overwhelmed and over-peopled pretty fast. The other, maybe more obviously, is that at some point, my mind turns to the fact that there is a person missing. Yes, he's represented there by Pookie, but Charlie-the-toddler was missing, and it made me melancholy later in the evening. It also made me feel like I'd misplaced something without knowing what - that feeling of forgetting something - but it was directly connected to the lack of Charlie, rather than actually forgetting an item.

I'm not saying it wasn't a lovely evening - it was! - or that I didn't have fun - because I certainly did!
But I missed Charlie.

Pookie waiting for dessert so he can taste the Cranberry Walnut Pie. This kid and berries, I tell you!

So I can imagine, if it was hard for me despite enjoying myself, that others who have lost a close family member - even if it's a baby who never got to enjoy the feast or even got to be at a Thanksgiving - that it might be hard for others, too.

So be gentle with those who have lost their child (or someone else) this holiday season. Include them in activities but be aware they may need to step away for a minute, or take a break, if the "missing" feelings get too heavy.

With love to all, and extra hugs for those people who are missing someone this holiday season.


Yours,

Sarah

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Resource list: Visit my spreadsheet at www.tinyurl.com/infantloss

Buffalo Trip - With Pookie

(Topic: Weighted bears [grief], travel)


Hi Friends,

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Buffalo. In fact, we've been traveling a lot, so there will be quite a few Pookie Travelogs sprinkled in over the next few weeks! This trip to Buffalo was in mid September.

This will be mostly pictures with captions, showing some of the things Pookie and I saw, and of course Pookie couldn't resist hamming it up for the camera!

Anyplace on a lake, I'll be looking for the sailing ships... This one only had a few smaller ones, but pretty nonetheless!

As far as I could tell, this was the excursion ship, though I was there too late in the year to take advantage. Pookie thinks there is too much water around boats, and worries about becoming waterlogged, so he only admires from afar.

There was an interesting spillway and canal area on the riverfront part of the downtown.

We found a playground with lots of "actual" bison! Pookie insisted on being a buffalo rancher.

Ridin' the buffalo! That's Pookie's adventure hat, you'll see it in most of the travelogs :)

Gee yup!

Chillin'

As you might imagine, this marina restaurant's name made me a bit sentimental.

I found a lake-front park to spend some time in, and the views - while a bit hazy at times - were lovely.

Adventure bear, at a lovely nature-reclaiming park, that made extensive use of natural features, natural materials, and bioswales.

We sat and looked out over the lake for a while, while waiting for it to be time to go meet up again with Daddy.

Pook on a super big and driftwood-y Adirondack chair!

... it might have been a little large for him.

Yours,

Sarah

To subscribe, find the "subscribe by email" note in the left column and enter your email there. Posts will be emailed directly to you whenever I post them!

Resource list: Visit my spreadsheet at www.tinyurl.com/infantloss