Officially the end of family celebrations

I received an email this week from my aunt, the wife of my mom's brother.  She was letting us know that they would no longer being hosting a big family Thanksgiving.  I'm certainly not surprised, and of course given the way my aunt & uncle have treated my mother, we wouldn't have gone anyway.  But this truly means the end of the big family gatherings.  Even if there is some reconciliation somewhere down the road (unexpected, but never say never), there won't be 30 family members gathering together for a holiday.  It makes me sad.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and the meals hosted by my aunt & uncle are a big part of that.

It had already been decided that my mother-in-law would be coming here for Thanksgiving.  The five of us will be joined by my mother & sister for a meal.  Seven of us sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner.  I try to remember to be grateful for that, but it's a little tough.  I feel sad that my family feels as though it is getting smaller.  We have Robert who has essentially left the family, and of course both my dad and father-in-law have passed away.  I know there may even come years when we can't be together at all on Thanksgiving and need to choose another date.  This is absolutely our reality and I accept that, which encourages me to be grateful even for just the seven gathering around the table this year!