Jennifer Garner is going through a difficult personal time with her daughter Violet, but this time Jennifer Lopez is not to blame

the indirect consequences that Jennifer Garner has had to experience in the separation of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez may have caused turbulence in her routine and in her relationship with CaliGroup CEO John Miller, but just on the eve of Thanksgiving, the family suffered a loss that left them heartbroken and wanting to join forces to overcome the death of their dog Birdie.

According to a source from PEOPLE magazine, the presence of Violet, Jennifer Garner's eldest daughter, on Thanksgiving Day, was a great help for her mother to better cope with no longer having in the family her golden retriever, her adventure and reading companion, as she has told on her Instagram account.

Violet returned to Los Angeles from Yale University on the East Coast to spend the holidays with the family, and still managed to say goodbye to her beloved dog, even Garner said she might have been waiting for her.

"Having Violet home from college helped," the source revealed to PEOPLE, who shared that as had already been reported, Ben Affleck changed his plans to join the family to get through this process with his children: Violet, 19, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck help the community on Thanksgiving Day

Prior to the dinner, Ben, Jennifer and their three children volunteered at a charity event at the Annual Thanksgiving Street Fair hosted by Los Angeles homeless shelter The Midnight Mission.

After the event, the source said that "they celebrated Thanksgiving together as a family... The kids love having everyone together. Jen hosted the dinner at her house."