Sterling silver, tall candles, white linens, flowers. The texts flooded in: Sorry, Grandma, have to be with the in-laws… Flight canceled… I have a cold… Sending flowers!… Maybe next year. So, dinner for one, from the freezer section. Turkey, potatoes, gravy, green beans. Pumpkin pie. All worthy of prayerful thanks.

Marilyn McFarlane is a travel writer and the author of Sacred Stories: Wisdom From World Religions. She writes poetry and fiction, enjoys the 50-word form, and occasionally explores memoir. She lives in Oregon, where there is a lot of scope for the imagination.