God knows, I am one rich girl. Not the moneyed variety. But, in blessings, I am overflowing. Just look at my family.
What a happy gathering we had Thanksgiving Day! For the first time in many years, all three of my children and their families and significant others came to celebrate each other.
All of us love sports so we gather for the first football game. Woo hoo, let the party begin! My responsibility is to provide the ‘horse douvers’ and to put the turkey in the oven. The kids bring the sides, desserts, wine and beer. Buff Honey, the guy who has a hard time throwing anything away, has a gazillion toys in the basement and a trampoline in the backyard much to the sheer delight of the grandkids!
And how thrilling to have our newest baby to cuddle and stare at! Luckily, he loves the stimulation and the crowd. He couldn’t get enough of it. No nap that day!
There’s no drama with my family. No scenes, no left over malevolent feelings, no drunkenness. Well....there was a little drama. My niece brought her new boyfriend to dinner...no problem there except when we sat down to dinner, I learned he was a chef! No pressure there...lol.
We took some strolls down memory lane....”Remember when we all used to go to the farmhouse on the mountaintop in western Massachusetts for Thanksgiving?” We did that for several years after Kevin passed away, basking in the comfortableness of close friends and the children’s godparents.
And there were good times many years ago when we all went to Kevin’s family reunions. All of his father’s 10 siblings gathered for Thanksgiving in Maryland or North Carolina. There were easily over 70 relatives eating turkey. Please don’t ask me to name names! Sadly, most of the siblings are gone.
One really great thing about our family is the clean up routine. Everybody pitches in and it’s over in minutes! I read Dear Amy today in the Tampa Tribune about this woman who helped her late mother-in-law with the holiday gatherings for years. Now, the family still wants to have the big get-togethers but don’t lift a finger to help her. Really?? Forget about it....done...over. Terrible situation, but I know that would never happen in my family. Another blessing!
Last week, I was in Tallahassee, the state capital of Florida. Also, the home of Florida State University where I graduated in 1969 and got married in 1970. It had been 43 years since I lived in Dorman Hall and hung out daily at The Sweet Shop....best hamburgers ever!
I was there for my cousin’s designation as president of the Florida Senate. A Republican. Unlike me, a dedicated Democrat. I’m the eldest cousin, he’s the youngest...22 years difference. My family doesn’t talk politics, generally. We may not understand each other’s political choices, but we are respectful of them. Of course, I’m definitely in the minority, but shouldn’t family transcend these differences anyway?
What I wanted to hear was his acceptance speech. What kind of Republican was he? I didn’t live here when he was first elected in 2002. An election he was never expected to win at age 32. He won against 3 primary opponents in a tight race. He did it the old fashioned way....no media, no negativity. He and his wife and my family went door to door for him all over Orlando.
When he spoke, it was clearly from the heart. His issues were rights for the handicapped and the preservation of this dear state that has been stripped of so much of its natural beauty. When Disney surreptitiously moved into central Florida, no zoning laws were apparent....grease a palm and voila! fast food joints, parking lots, apartment buildings, highways, big box stores appeared. It was what my friends called “the rape of Florida.”
Of course, he also spoke of conservative spending but so did Bill Clinton. To me, it seemed that we had much more in common than I had imagined. Clearly, he was no tea party zealot. His colleagues repeatedly praised his compassion and his ability to bring opposing sides together. Now, this is a guy I could vote for!
Being the emotional soul I am, I cried through the entire speech....as did his father, my uncle. He spoke a good 30 minutes. Who knew??? For over 40 years, we’ve had family gatherings...most of them a bit rambunctious at times. For the most part, we’re a pretty gregarious group.
I swear I have never heard him utter two sentences. But, I’m here to tell you that he was nothing if not impressive. Passionate and humorous in his very low key way. I was beyond proud of him. That’s my cousin!
And, here again, we’re in the holiday season which started in October at the malls. I’m tired of the commercials. Even the holiday music gets annoying when you hear it over and over again, especially in the stores. The flashing lights on the house decorations do nothing for me.
I just want an understated Christmas this year. My son will be celebrating with BH and me on the lanai where the presents will be arranged around the Christmas cactus.
And I’ll reflect on what an amazing and loving family I have. Very blessed indeed.
