The rest of the family will be home, and we plan to celebrate with many other relatives. I look forward to putting the school books aside to relish the stories, smiles, and friendship family will bring in the days ahead.
With Thanksgiving so late, the holiday will quickly spill into Christmas. College bills and an ever growing extended family will make gifts a low priority this year. However we will focus the gifts we do buy on our summer adventure to visit my oldest son. The gifts will build anticipation for the journey.
The year takes on a more regular pattern as you get older, and the seasons seem to arrive and leave with a bit more speed. Yet while the pattern becomes more predictable, the change within each season seems faster and more unpredictable. Loved ones pass more often as you reach my age, and it's sad that they are gone. Yet we bring their traditions, stories, and favored foods, decorations, and activities to mind and home during the season, and share that history with the little ones who fill our homes with joy.
Though our clothes are different, and our families more diverse than Norman Rockwell's depiction above, the same warmth and love pervades the holiday, and that is what I'm most thankful for. I wish all in my PLN near and far a loving holiday with those you treasure most. Happy Thanksgiving!
