PATRICE'S PERSPECTIVE
By Patrice Bumstead
General Manager of McKenzie County Media LLC
Farmer Editor
Hello friends, I sure hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family, friends, coworkers, and friends that have become family.
This year my family gathered via video call the day before Thanksgiving. Sure it was different, but I was extremely thankful to see my kids all together on one video call (I swear once they leave the coop, it is nearly impossible to see them all together in one spot). Hubby and I have three adult children, and this is our first year as “empty nesters” and it is strange.
Our two oldest boys (I know they are grown, but I will probably call them boys until I leave this earth and they have come to accept that) currently serve in the U.S. military. One will be spending his holiday traveling across the globe to his next duty station, and the other is stationed nowhere near home. So we gather any way, any time we can, and this year, that meant early and via video.
It was a fabulous call. They picked on each other as if no amount of time has lapsed since they’ve seen one another, and I laughed pretty much the entire time, my heart was full.
You see, our little family has not been all together in-person at the dinner table on Thanksgiving, or any holiday for that matter, since 2018 when the oldest son flew the coop to serve his country. But, we are nothing if not creative in how we gather as a family. I suppose that is natural for all military families, or as some would say, a sacrifice made for the freedoms we as a country enjoy.
Our daughter (the baby of the family) is living her best life as a college student, however, she was able to make the trip home for the weekend. She came with a specific request for moms sweet potato casserole and homemade whipping cream for the Bumstead holiday staple - the late Grandma Linda’s homemade apple pie.