Thanks giving

Last time, I wrote about how much I was looking forward to Thanksgiving.  As one of my favorite days of the year, it lived up to my expectations and was a really great time.  Everyone was there, I got to do some cooking, we had a great meal, and best of all, I got to spend a lot of time with my family.  I love my family a lot, and can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute I got to spend with them.  Overall, I only have two regrets from the weekend.

The first is that four days was nowhere near long enough, and I don’t feel like I had enough time to really hang out with everybody before it was time to go.  There’s not much I can do about that, except to look forward to Christmas being less than four weeks away.  The other one, though, came at Thanksgiving dinner.  Before we started, my Mom said grace and added some very nice words about what she was thankful for and what we all hoped for in the future.  She asked if anyone had anything to add, and though I don’t want to speak for everyone, I feel that we all thought she put things so well that we just couldn’t add to it.

So no one said anything formally, but we all kind of agreed with what Mom had said, then we enjoyed a great dinner.  However, now that it’s been a few days and I had time to think about it, I would like to try to reflect on what I feel thankful for as well.  Though I know this doesn’t begin to cover all there is to say, I put together a few sentences on each of you.  Here goes.

Mom – Thank you for being such a great mother.  You are supportive and nurturing, and always encourage me to be my best.  Whenever I need inspiration, advice or direction, you are the one I turn to.  Like the song from our dance at my wedding says, you raise me up.  I love you.

Dad – Thank you for being such a great father.  You are practical and wise, and have the bizarre sense of humor that I share.  Whenever I need some advice or some help figuring something out, I can turn to you.  I love you.

Jeremy – Thank you for being such a great brother.  You are fun and exuberant, and I can always count on an adventure when I’m with you.  Whenever I feel like I need energy or passion for something, I look to you.  I love you.

Brian – Thank you for being such a great brother.  You are caring and thoughtful, and can always find fun in whatever we do together.  Whenever I need to quit stressing; to just relax and enjoy life, you are there.  I love you.

Karin – Thank you for being such a great sister.  You are unique and confident, and have insight and vigor beyond your years.  Whenever I need to open my mind or look at something in a new way, I have you.  I love you.

I know that’s not much, but I just wanted to express how much I care for each of you and how thankful I am that you are my family.  It’s not just on Thanksgiving that I feel glad to have each and every one of you in my family, but now seemed like a very good time to say so.  I am very thankful that we were able to all get together for the holiday, and I look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks.

And one last thing: since I only did a few sentences on each of you, there’s no way that what I wrote begins to capture the complex essence of any of you.  Many of the great qualities I mentioned are shared by the entirety of my family, and I intended everything I wrote as a compliment.  If it doesn’t come off that way, remember I’m not that great a writer, so there could only be a shortage of writing ability, not of love that I have for you all.

It was a great Thanksgiving, and I know that I have much to be thankful for.  Ostensibly, the holiday is all about a big feast; eating and drinking and having a good time.  To me, though, it is one of the most magical days of the year – a time of love and family.  For those of us fortunate enough to share those things, Thanksgiving Day has to be one of the best days of the year.  Happy Holidays to all!