Post Thanksgiving Reflections

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  I was busy the whole week preparing so that on the day I could enjoy my family.  And that's what the holiday is all about.  Family.

I think back to Thanksgiving as a kid.  My dad had a pretty large family - two sisters and a brother and their spouses and children...  And we all gathered together for laughter and love.  We would go to grandma's house early on.

Sometimes it would be at our house with my mom's brother's house and we shared the day with his family.  

  

As we got older my cousin often hosted the rowdy bunch.

The great thing about my family - it doesn't matter what your political views are.  It doesn't matter if you make a lot of money or barely make ends meet.  No one cares if you drink wine or beer - or are just a teetotaler.  What does matter is that we are family - and family matters.

It's not that blood is thicker than water - in our family there are a lot of folks that aren't related by blood, but are family none the less.  It is that we honestly care for each other simply for who we are - and we joke and laugh and hug a lot.

As I reflect on Thanksgivings past, I reflect on how my family has evolved -

 on the people that no longer share the day in body, but certainly live in our thoughts and hearts.

And I think about Thanksgivings future.  Some of my grand-kids are grown adults now.  It isn't that far in the future that I'll have great-grandchildren.  And I look forward to sharing a day of love and laughter, of truly being grateful and giving thanks for the beauty of my life.