When the holidays roll around every year, I start thinking about Chevy Chase and the movie "Christmas Vacation." The part when the whole clan, including Cousin Eddie's family and their dog Snot, gather around the table, Aunt Bethany prays the Pledge of Allegiance, Clark poises himself to carve the turkey, inserts the knife into the beautifully browned bird, and it explodes from being in the oven too long!
Tomorrow the three of us will be together here, as our family celebration was last weekend. We will grace the day with togetherness, reminiscing about Thanksgivings past, being grateful for the lives we've made for ourselves, and holding the fuzzy one who brings a whole other arena of love and silliness to our home.
And, we will be thankful that our parents are no longer suffering and that we are given this time for ourselves. Our care taking assignments are fulfilled, our lifelong careers completed, and now there's a freedom for us that we never had before. No matter what happens in the future, we will have had these blessed years.
I so appreciate every single person who has touched my life, has been good to me, made me laugh, and treated me with respect. Thank you, thank you, thank you.