Thanks

We got through the second leg of the holiday season stuffed with food but no worse for wear. (The first leg was Halloween.) We were at Mr. Honey's brother's home. Norm and MaryKay cooked a feast. There was turkey, ham, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, smoked and fresh sausage, dressing, green bean casserole, breads and wines by the orchard. Now on Mr. Honey's side of the family there is Mr. Honey, his sister and brother and between them there are eight children. But MaryKay has a host of sisters and brothers - somewhere between 11-15, and they have children who have children - so you can imagine. They are a very nice and fun bunch and I really enjoy being around them because they've known Mr. Honey since grade school and high school so they can tell stories. (Alas, Mr. Honey does not have a dark side.)

At the moment I am in the house alone. Duke is in the backyard barking at some imaginary intruder or a squirrel. Mr. Honey went to work and I haven't seen him today.

Here's the thing about being alone. I am happy to be alone at the moment. There is the clicking of the keyboard and the music playing on the laptop (currently 'I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool')and I feel as if I am getting my bearings and catching my breath before I continue making squares for the bedspread. The quiet is great.

I was feeling a little lonely last night in the midst of the Thanksgiving crowd. I have a few smatterings of cousins in Illinois but no one close to me lives in the state. I would have to go to Maryland, Colorado, Arizona or Washington state to find a first line relative. This is the first season I can remember feeling this way. The kid was the last one to leave home and she's been gone for a few years so it's not like it's new to me but that feeling was new to me.

I am grateful to have Mr. Honey's family around - his sister's kids especially are a hoot but I am longing a bit for my own family and the zaniest that is uniquely ours when we get together. The next chance of that appears to be the April time frame when all the educators (6) in the family will be on break and we can convene in Phoenix (that's where 1 brother and 1 sister lives and our parents are buried.)

The gratitude for my own family is assisting in the tiny blue feeling I have. I miss Mom and Dad and the wonderful dinners we would have around Thanksgiving and Christmas: Turkey with dressing and cranberry sauce, chitterlings or chittlins, spaghetti, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, chocolate cake, gingerbread and pound cake - no liquor, we don't come from drinkers.

i am so grateful and happy for those of you who still have parents and grandparents to share food, love and laughter with during this time of the year. It is one of the things we tell our children to appreciate but we don't really come into full grown appreciation until we have no other choice but memories. For all the ups and downs that come with being a child, a sibling, a parent, cousin or aunt or uncle, considering where we all are today, nothing would be changed - except for having the elders around the table a little bit longer.

Mr. Honey walked in the door with my birthday present - I wanted a craft lamp for Christmas and my laptop expanded for my birthday but they were reversed and he came in with a craft lamp to beat all craft lamps - there's a funny story attached to it which I will tell you about later but the lamp needs to be assembled and that's going to be my task. So I will get to it and then use it for the making of squares.

Hope the attitude of gratitude stays with you this weekend along with family and friends and a bunch of good memories in the making.