Thanks to those who were so helpful when I was melting down. Your comments and suggestions were very appreciated, although in the end, moot. No grace was said. There was enough chaos where it was never really missed, and although I had my typed out plan in my bra (pocket of choice), I didn't use it. After dinner, I did go over to my dad and brother and told them of what had been transpiring in my head all week and shared with them what I had written. My dad said he had contemplated asking me to speak, but decided that maybe it would be too hard. It was a nice holiday and my grandma was a trooper. We had so many extra folks, they served as a good distraction. For the record, here is what I planned on saying:

Firstly, thanks to everyone who has come to join our family on this holiday of thanksgiving. We all have so many things to be thankful for, but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge what we lost this year. An artist, a life force, a family member, a friend is gone, and she left us with a lesson to be thankful. To be thankful for every single moment we have together, not just on each holiday, but on every single day. So in addition to being thankful to have every thing we have, let’s all be thankful that we have each other too.