I can't help it but I'm still thinking about Thanksgiving. Now, instead of the tangibles of turkey and stuffing (my son says he's thankful for stuffing; not only did I not know that he was even aware of stuffing, but I certainly had no idea he liked it; it remains to be seen whether he actually EATS it on Thursday), I'm thinking about the gathering of family and all the things I have to be thankful for (and there are so many; I'm very fortunate).

But it also makes me think about those who are no longer with us. For me, the biggest hole in my heart belongs to my mother, and she's been gone for way too many years already. But in some ways, I know I think about her more than I ever did when she was here. There virtually isn't a day that goes by that she's not part of my life.

It amazes me that she is still the rich fabric that holds my family together. I think I really realized that when I fell in love with the book THE SPACE BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER by Jean Reynolds Page. This is a poignant, genuine, heartfelt, rich, and engaging novel about Holli who is caught between nurturing her college-age son who is trying to find his way and caring for her grandmother who raised her and is now in a state of mental decline (or is she?).

But what really spoke to me was the storyline in which Holli loses her mother when she is quite young and how that affects the rest of her life. For me, reading that Holli (as well as her grandmother) still has a connection to her mother was remarkably powerful, and there's a brilliant line in the book about those we love always being with us.

That is a sentiment I am most thankful for. It reminds me of Sir Isaac Newton's comment about standing on the shoulders of giants. We are not who we are without those who came before us. I believe they are always part of us.

You should read Jean's book. It will leave you in a special place. And I will leave you with the question, what books have spoken to you in a memorable way?

How did I get to Sir Isaac Newton??? I shouldn't do this so late at night.