It is strange what can spark memories and trigger emotions. I have always felt that my “first” family always seemed a little too fancy for me. On Thanksgiving, my mom would set the table with full place settings, cloth napkins, and even the little ring holders for said napkins. It was always nice if a bit much but I always came away saying that it is better to be able to fit in with either the cloth napkin crowd or the paper towel crowd when necessary. My mom always held this dream of these Norman Rockwellian holiday experiences… and I was always afraid that it would fall short and she would be disappointed…
My mom has been gone for several years now and my “first” family is now scattered to the winds. So I have taken my wife’s family as my “second” family. The gatherings are always loud and crowded but there is also a lot of laughter and jokes. It is a downhome, family atmosphere. But because of the size of the gatherings, it is very hard for everyone to sit down together. So it is more paper plates and plastic forks and lots and lots of food. It is a great atmosphere…
And yet, this year, I find myself longing for that community that comes from everyone sitting around the table together. My mom would always do the cheesy, cliché passing around the table where everyone would say what they are thankful for. And while I felt that the cloth napkins and dining together was too fancy (at the time), for some reason this year, I find myself missing that. Strange.
I’ve always said that if I won the lottery, I would build a small “community center” like the town of Adair has that would have a full kitchen, bath facilities, and enough space to allow big communal meetings without impinging on anyone’s home. (This would double as the place to play the weekly poker game too.) I think that would be a really nice thing to have…
Still, I am feeling good about this year. I do have a lot to be thankful for. We are probably now close to 80% done with our Christmas shopping, I didn’t gorge myself too much, and leftovers were minimal (so I am not eating turkey for a week and a half). I did have to work in the morning but I just kept telling myself that this is the last year that I have to do it.
I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving. Just think, Christmas is only 24 days away…
My mom has been gone for several years now and my “first” family is now scattered to the winds. So I have taken my wife’s family as my “second” family. The gatherings are always loud and crowded but there is also a lot of laughter and jokes. It is a downhome, family atmosphere. But because of the size of the gatherings, it is very hard for everyone to sit down together. So it is more paper plates and plastic forks and lots and lots of food. It is a great atmosphere…
And yet, this year, I find myself longing for that community that comes from everyone sitting around the table together. My mom would always do the cheesy, cliché passing around the table where everyone would say what they are thankful for. And while I felt that the cloth napkins and dining together was too fancy (at the time), for some reason this year, I find myself missing that. Strange.
I’ve always said that if I won the lottery, I would build a small “community center” like the town of Adair has that would have a full kitchen, bath facilities, and enough space to allow big communal meetings without impinging on anyone’s home. (This would double as the place to play the weekly poker game too.) I think that would be a really nice thing to have…
Still, I am feeling good about this year. I do have a lot to be thankful for. We are probably now close to 80% done with our Christmas shopping, I didn’t gorge myself too much, and leftovers were minimal (so I am not eating turkey for a week and a half). I did have to work in the morning but I just kept telling myself that this is the last year that I have to do it.
I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving. Just think, Christmas is only 24 days away…
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