My Thanksgivings in Santa Cruz

Since moving back to Santa Cruz in June 30, 1996, I have picked up the custom of Thanksgiving celebration. For over a decade, we would go to Lew's. He would prepare and present to us the most beautiful and delicious turkey. Together with another couple, we would be responsible for trimmings. The couple is no other than Carmen and Harvey who is one of Lew's oldest friends from Detroit, Michigan.

For some unknown reason, Carmen and Harvey stopped coming. It might be related to the fierce competition in table tennis between Lew and Harvey, a pair of superb players. It might be also possible that Lew's new Modesto female did not get along with the couple. A few years later, we took over turkey cooking when Lew started to decline physically.

Despite our numerous trips to New York to take care of our mother since 2008, Paul and I always managed to come back for Thanksgiving, with Lew as our special guest. At first, he drove himself to our house, but had to be picked up by Paul or Nick in later years. Nonetheless, he would join us, even in November 2017, two months before his passing. He was a proud man, reminiscing stories to us of his booming success in his home town with his laundromat that kept it's price at ten cents when all the other establishments were increasing their prices. He would also tell of us his innovative group approach in his social work and psychotherapy career with the County of Santa Clara.

At his last two Thanksgivings, Lew declined drastically, pale and bent, dwelling only on two things: all his family wealth disappeared without a trace, so did his parents and friends in Detroit; and his only usefulness now was reduced to signing checks requested by his bookkeeper, and girl friend. On hearing it, we were alarmed but felt helpless to comfort him. If there were a crystal ball, we would warn his cousin down in Southern California to intervene. Apparently, time is not on our side, two months later in January 2018, Lew passed after a two weeks' stay at Domincan Hospital.

Since 2018, we have been celebrating our Thanksgiving with Nick's family of four. The kids have brought us positive energy and festive spirits. But somewhere in a corner of our heart we miss the constant Thanksgiving guest who was so savvy all his life, but so muddle-headed toward the end of his life.