My step-dad is from Ireland. It was very hard to get him into the country. We were seperated for almost two years. He got to come home last January. We are so happy, and this will be our first thanksgiving together.

This Thanksgiving is especially meaningful for me. I have been worrying for over a year as my husband has been undergoing a series of tests to determine if he has renal carcinoma. He is only 34 years old and has unidentifiable masses in his kidney which were discovered by accident during an abdominal CT scan at an ER visit last summer. Finally this past week we received results from a cystoscopy that he does not currently have cancer.

We have decided to start over again with our relationship and so far it has been wonderful, just like when we began dating. We are truly appreciating life at this moment and plan to do so for the rest of our time.

It is a sad shame that it sometimes takes something traumatic to truly appreciate what we have in life. No matter the reason, we have realized what we have and we intend to nurture it. This Thanksgiving is a testament to that, and it couldn't happen at a more ideal time.