Milestones Memories and Miracles

Another Holiday. The passing of time. Holidays gone by merging wildly into one another. Thanksgiving of my youth: the year I decreed that if the girls made dinner and cooked all day, the boys should NOT get to sit around and watch football while we cleaned up, and the family agreed.... a holiday tradition is borne. The Holidays of my teenage years, centered around the oldest running high school girls' flag football game on Wednesday and the high school boys' football game on Thursday morning: dad running the lines, brother as drum major, me in the band or on the field playing ball, depends on the year... all good times. The holidays of college, coming back to Homecoming and meeting up with friends, comparing notes, puffing out chests, embellishing college tales, eyeing each other with a dash of angst, a smidgen of longing, a dollop of heartache. The holidays of my early marriage, me anxious to get in the car and zoom up the highway to football and food and family, him dragging and complaining that I packed too much. Again. The holidays of my children, Thanksgivings in Spain or South Carolina or Maryland, with his family or no family, but always blessed with good food and good friends; Last Year my first Holiday Alone as the kids stayed with Dad and I trekked north once again to my family, reunited with friends and parties and games and good times while adjusting to the New Life. And this year. Yet another rebirth. Another anxious and excited time. Cajoling the children to hurry pack pack pack. We're going HOME. Realizing I forgot to have the oil changed and hoping the truck will be fine til we get there. Packing sweaters. Packing for dogs. Packing for cold. Making lists of food to buy for pies when we get there because I forgot to shop. What have I been doing this week anyway??? calls with the nieces and nephews and plans to go out, to play, to game, to enjoy each other's company. To be HOME in my parents' house, again blessed to be surrounded by family, friends, dogs, memories. Giving thanks for the many blessings. Giving thanks for new memories...