Nov 30, 2003

Well,another one of Caelan's first holidays just passed. We had a great Thanksgiving at our house this year (that was a first as well). My family (the Sorensen's) came from California and Garrett and Melanie came from Idaho. Lindsey and Jenny also came as well as Dan and Natalie and kids and Heather and Brok and kids. I think the total was 25 people in our little two bedroom (850 square foot) apartment. We borrowed a couple of chairs and everyone fit just fine. We had a Thanksgiving feast for sure. We had turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, cheesy potatoes, crackers and cheese, vegetables, yams, jello salad, fruit salad, stuffing, rolls, barbeque salad, and pies and ice cream for dessert. Caelan loved it all (anything that anyone would feed her -mostly potatoes, yams and Cool Whip from the fruit salad). People were loving and hugging her all day. It was a wonderful holiday. That night we had a family meeting -I guess you could call it. We talked about Mom (Grandma Sorensen) and her medical condition. We learned that at her last doctor's visit, the doctor estimated about three months left for her to stay with us in this mortal life. It was a touching and loving and uniting moment for our family. She has been battling her cancer for at least two years. We recognize that it has been a blessing that she has been here on earth for as long as she has. Just this past year has been one of several memorable events that she was able to take part in: Caelan's birth, Erin and my graduations, Garrett and Melanie's wedding, etc, etc. What a wonderful time it has been to see her interact with Caelan (one of her many, many future descendents). Caelan will always be a special reminder to our family of my Mom and the example and role that she played in our lives and continues to play.