At Thanksgiving Dinner, My Daughter Stood up and Shouted, ‘And Where’s the Woman Dad Keeps in Our Shed?’

Thanksgiving dinner was meant to be joyful, but it quickly became unsettling when our daughter, Emma, unexpectedly asked about “the woman Dad keeps hidden in the shed.” Shocked, I asked Emma to clarify, and she insisted she had seen the woman when I was away.

Peter, looking pale, hesitated before taking me outside to the shed, where he revealed the woman was his biological mother, Janet, whom he had thought was long gone. Peter had found her homeless and struggling, and despite their past, he had decided to help her without telling me.

Though initially feeling betrayed, I understood Peter’s complicated feelings. I offered Janet help, and we returned to the house together, where the family welcomed her warmly. Emma, eager to meet her grandmother, happily asked if she could stay for Thanksgiving. We all shared the holiday together, grateful for healing, forgiveness, and a second chance as a family.