Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday of year. The air is just a little bit more fresh and crisp, and the trees (at least in the South) are still pretty nice looking, with the color and foliage not quite fully changed yet. The food and libations are fantastic and never-ending, there are no presents to worry about, and it’s a nice long weekend! And the entire holiday season lies before us, giving me hope that somehow everything will get done!

At the same time, Thanksgiving is also my most reflective time of year.

My mom died on Thanksgiving Day, 8 years ago, following her bout with Stage 4 lung cancer. She fought a valiant battle, and while we were greatly saddened by her passing, we were also grateful that her suffering was over. My Dad also died near Thanksgiving Day, way back in 1989 at the very young age of only 58. It was a huge shock, since he died with no warning.

For me, Thanksgiving always brings with it a wide range of emotions and memories, reconnecting me to those I miss and wish were still with us now. This year, early on Thanksgiving morning – before all the excitement of the day began (and while waiting for the blue cheese for my apricot-blue cheese-walnut-honey appetizers to soften) – I took a moment with my coffee, out on the back deck overlooking the hills with their autumn colors. I wrapped myself in the soft, off-white afghan my Grandmother made me for my 18th birthday, over 40 years ago. And I basked in the love and caring from so many, for so many years. I am so very grateful for my time with them!

National Caregiving Conference in Chicago on December 2-3rd

One of the best websites I’ve found is www.caregiving.com, founded by caregiver advocate Denise Brown. Caregiving.com supports family caregivers, former family caregivers and the individuals who work with them. You can write your own blog, join chat groups with other caregivers, or even take a course on caregiving.

Denise and Caregiving.com are organizing and hosting a National Caregiving Conference for Dec. 2 and 3rd, in Chicago … you can attend online!

Check out the details at the link below: http://www.caregiving.com/national-caregiving-conference-hub/

The goal of this conference is to connect attendees with support and solutions; empower attendees with insights and information; and entertain attendees with engaging and enlightening presentations … and also to spark important conversations about what we need as family caregivers and former family caregivers in our communities, our workplaces and our health care system. Approximately 400 individuals are expected to attend the conference.

I’ll be participating at the conference on two panel discussions, and will be reporting back to you about new ideas and perspectives that I learn about while there!

Following is a link to a video produced by Caregiving.com, which put a call out for photos of its members and their carees to be used for a video tribute sung by Grammy-award winner Patti Austin. You can watch it, here: http://www.caregiving.com/2016/11/lean-on-me-a-tribute-to-family-caregivers/

Your Caregiving Journey: The Opportunity of a Lifetime! (TEDx Tokyo Talk)

So excited to share with you the link from my recent TEDx Tokyo talk (Oct. 22nd, Tokyo)! Considering that many of us will be called upon to serve as non-professional caregivers in the near future, my talk addresses the importance of having deep, heartfelt discussions with your loved ones about their future – sooner rather than later. No one wants to talk about it – but having these sometimes difficult conversations while everyone is still healthy gives you more options in the long run.

You can watch the full TedX Tokyo talk below.