Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had!  This year was supposed to be the "small" year, where many of my siblings and their families go to the "in-laws" houses.  So...Dan and I offered to host the remaining siblings as well as Dan's family.  Well, the gathering was a little larger than expected, and so our first Thanksgiving sat 24 people!  Dan's family tradition is to grill their turkey, and ours is to roast one, so we did both!  Luckily Carolyn was "on call" next door to help me with the turkey preparation...I had never made a turkey before.  Once we got 'em all thawed out, it was smooth sailing.  

We went to Mass at Assumption with Carolyn and the family, and Fr. Joe Kempf gave the most awesome homily.  He talked about how as parents, we always want to document our children's firsts...first word, first step, first haircut, etc.  Many of us put these "firsts" into a book of Firsts.  He went onto question..."What would we do if we had a book of "lasts"?"  How would we act toward one another if we knew this would be our last Thanksgiving with a loved one, or the last time your pre-teen did not feel embarrassed by snuggling with you...Or if you knew it would be the last time you would celebrate Mass?  How would we behave if we knew so many of the things we experienced would be our last?   This homily really hit home with me... I feel so blessed having my mom and dad still around, and even better, I get to see them almost everyday!  And even though my siblings may cause me stress (some more than others ;->), there is no place on earth I would rather be! Even though the meal preparation was a little hectic (with feeding 24 people), I really tried to stay calm and really, truly enjoy the moments of the day.

And it was such a good time.  We talked.  We played cards.  We drank wine.  We played Rockband and the Wii.  It was a wonderful blessing to have our families together.  And for that, I was truly Thankful!