HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Although some things never change -- Thanksgiving is not one of those things. A family is alive...which means it is always growing -- or shrinking. People come, people go (depending on the people, either one of those things could be the good news or the bad news).
Every family has their happy times. Birthday parties, graduations, good test scores, promotions, beautiful weddings, new babies.
Then there are the not-so-happy occasions. Kids move away. Couples get divorced and the dining room furniture is hauled off to the Goodwill. People die, they get sick, lose their jobs, or maybe their house burns down...
Every one of those things -- good or bad -- has one thing in common.
Change...
If you were having the perfect Thanksgiving....you probably would NOT be reading this blog today...So, I am going to assume that something about this day sucks.
You are not alone...Trust me...
If your day sucked -- if you feel lonely -- or somebody hurt your feelings -- or disappointed you...or you are dealing with a loss....well -- it's a very long line you're standing in...
Thanksgiving has become a holiday full of pressure. Norman Rockwell painted a fictional picture that no family could live up to. The people you THINK are having a better day than you are probably bored out of their minds, feeling jealous or resentful of their annoying siblings, pissed off at their ungrateful children, and have spent the entire day biting their tongues...
Chances are good they are deliberately telling you the Norman Rockwell-edited version of their day....pretending everything was perfect....because they fear YOU had a better Thanksgiving than THEY DID...
The good news is -- IT'S JUST ONE DAY!!
If today REALLY sucked -- my advice is to write it all down. Just for yourself. It is so interesting to read these journal entries AFTER the fact. It's how I learn. Every single time. If you write it down honestly -- then go back and read it next year, maybe you can PREVENT having another meltdown, crappy Thanksgiving.
But that almost always means you must embrace...that's right...let's say it together....
Change is inevitable - this is our first true "empty nest" holiday. Our daughter has moved to Missouri (grad school). So it's a quieter day. We still have the turkey and trimmings, but hopefully on a smaller scale! We wish you a happy day. Thank you for your blogs posts; I have enjoyed the variety in them, especially the history and geography lessons.
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