Here’s a question. Why are we co-mingling, every year, on the fourth Thursday of November, with people that we only see once a year? Could it be, that is the main reason we moved away from “home” in the first place; because we don’t want to see them any more often than that?
There is always someone who can hardly wait to stir up trouble over dinner, by bringing up the topic of politics or religion; or, when all else fails, the topic of money! How can you possibly be thankful to have these people as family members? How can they even be our family members?
As far back as I can remember, Thanksgiving was always a source of drudgery, because it was a lot of work and the bulk of the responsibility usually landed on one or two people. It’s one of those holidays that begs for the proclamation—It’s Thanksgiving today, and we are going to enjoy this day, whether we want to or not!
Even after I was old enough to move away, I still came home for Thanksgiving. And every year I would ask myself “why” am I doing this, and I would vow not to subject myself to the torture ever again. But, you know how it is.
When we were very young, our family would usually get together with my mother’s college girlfriend and her family, thus trading off the burden every other year. That was fun. But eventually as we got older and added boyfriends, college roommates and other people to the family circle, the ritual changed.
Now, I’m old, and it’s hard for me to travel. My dad is gone and I miss him. There aren’t any children/grandchildren in our immediate family, so nothing is really new. It’s just the same core group, doing the same things they’ve always done and just getting older, one year at a time. None-the-less, I still like being part of the group.
As you get older, you start to realize that life really is short. So, my advice is: if you do get the chance to spend time with your family and enjoy a delicious meal, just do it! And if the actual holiday doesn’t fit into everyone’s schedule, then schedule it for another day when everyone can be available. For years, we have had our Thanksgiving dinner on Friday instead of Thursday. That way, it gives those of us who have jobs, time to do our cooking on Thursday rather than staying up all night trying to get everything done for the next morning. It works.
So, eat, drink and be merry; and thanks for reading this.
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