Thanksgiving always bears mentioning I suppose.
I've heard so many different accounts of what people did on Thanksgiving, how much they did or did not enjoy it, the gammut of emotional impact it had. Holidays don't always affect people in the way you expect.
Especially upon reading about other people's holidays, it hits me how much I have to appreciate about mine. For starters, it's huge. That's not an inherently good thing, but I'll tell you why it's huge. It's not because we've all had a bunch of kids or made any effort to carry on the family name in spite of the fact that we're notorious for birthing slews of girls. It's because we never leave a man behind. Honestly, I still have cousins that I count among my best friends. Some of them live in other states and they all have boyfriends (or husbands) and jobs and school and completely separate lives. And we all come together anyway, sometimes for family gatherings, sometimes for the hell of it, because not only do we all love each other, we pretty much all like each other. I used to think that that's just how families worked. The more I learn about how the 21st Century family is supposed to function, the more I thank God for mine.
Don't get me wrong. Thanksgiving was exhausting. There were many moments I wanted to be somewhere else. There were people I rolled my eyes at when they said something that was so very much like something they would say. But when I see groups of people all over the place enjoying each others' company just as they would if they weren't required to be there, it takes me down a peg. Who am I to wish for something any better than this?
I guess that's what well-meaning people mean when they try to cheer you up by saying something stupid like, "Count your blessings." Next time one of my aunts pisses me off, I'm going to try to remember what I said here.
About Me
- woodlayson
- I find that the best way to learn about a person is to listen to what they have to say. It's called indirect exposition. Let's try that.
6 comments:
I was thinking about your family yesterday when I was out smoking on my porch. Something easy to do when one of yours lives right next door to me.
I thought about how huge your holidays must be, and if you enjoyed it. I've met a lot of Finlaysons, so I figured it was pretty good times. I also thought about how lucky you were. Of course, that's easy to do, too, sitting on your porch alone, waxing poetic...
Bygones. My point...
I am really, really glad, that you realized how lucky you are, too. It makes me feel better about society as a whole, that there is a family like yours around.
When I was posting it, I kept thinking, "I don't want to make people feel bad by talking about how great my life is." But then I thought about it, and no, all I'm doing is recognizing what I have and being grateful for it, which everyone should do. And everyone has things they should be down on their knees in sheer awe over, but they don't see them for what they are. So here's the ball, rolling.
dante invited me to your Thanksgiving Shenanigans since my fam was out of town. but i went to kelly's because the whole Fish fam was in town so it was like old times...except my fam wasn't there. it was still good times. and i thought about what it must be like at your Thanksgiving. with all those people! and all *those* people. and then the talent portion of the show. i thought that if i were to go i'd bring my juggle clubs since i can't sing.
we drank beer and played cards and PJ and i talked about the Family Guy the whole time.
-jp
Jaimie, that would've been awesome. You all should have come. I'm just curious how many people would have to be added to the mix for the craziness factor to just plateau. Some day, we will acheive this.
JP! You guys had beer! Next year I'm going with you! Uncle Dan
of COURSE we had beer! it was the Fish's and Pickle's!
huh, but no knife fights. dang.
-jp
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