It’s the time of year when we sit around the table with our
loved ones and give our appreciation for all the blessings in our lives. I, for
one, have many things to be thankful about. I have a loving, supportive
husband, a pretty easy-going (although some days she makes me want to pull my
hair out) daughter, two parents who gave me the best life they could offer and
then some, two sisters who were my first friends and an extended family that
makes the effort to get together for every major holiday.
Recently, while hanging out with some of my friends we began
discussing our upcoming holiday plans. There were talks of mother-in-laws not
allowing anything she didn’t like to eat on the Thanksgiving table no matter
how many people said they like it and insisted on using a herb that her
daughter-in-law was extremely allergic to on the turkey, divorced families and
choosing whose house to go to and whose house to skip, and the hassle of
entertaining a daughter’s boyfriends for the first time.
Hearing my friends talk, I realized I had absolutely nothing
to “complain” about. The Thanksgiving dishes are divided as usual and if I
wanted to bring something new, it wouldn’t be an issue. We always make two
different cherry pies, because my Grandfather is diabetic and we want to make
sure he can partake. We always gather at my Grandparent’s house, we have for
decades and we never have to pick sides because there is only one person in our
entire extended family that has been divorced and the ex isn’t in the picture.
We do get the occasional boyfriend/girlfriends, but we never worry about
entertaining them, but welcome them as if they’re already part of the family.
It is a happy time. A time I look forward to every holiday
season. Catching up with all my aunts, uncles and cousins, watching football,
and eating all day long and I mean ALL. DAY. LONG. We play cards, games and
tell stories of the recent months. Our children run through the house like
hoodlums and we let them play and run and laugh, because once upon a time we
were those children and I think a part of us remembers what it was like to run
through the house playing and laughing with our cousins. There are no hard
feelings, or grudges, or family feuds, in fact there is nothing but love in that
house.
As I explained this to my friends, they told me that my
family wasn’t normal. And maybe we’re not, but if this is what abnormal looks
like … well, then … I’m truly thankful that my family is abnormal.
