Thanksgiving

What a great Thanksgiving. Everyone was home, healthy and, for the most part, in good spirits. I had the opportunity to cook for everyone and like so many things lately, it reminded me of when the kids were younger.

Back then, most weekday meals consisted of whatever I could throw together when I got in the door from work... usually it was leftovers from the weekend before. Nothing fancy but they did the trick. But no matter how wanting those meals were in the way of fine cuisine, we always spent them together at the table. Everyone had stories about their day. It was a chance for each of the kids to talk, and more importantly, a chance for each or them to be heard. The table became, in a way, a stage.

Our weekend meals were more extravagant (by comparison). I had more time. We all did. Often one or more of the kids would help me cook and that was fun for all of us. The added bonus was they would always be more willing to try things that they had prepared.

When it was time to eat, Helaina would always eat more than I could imagine and still be a little bean sprout.  Jake would get up too clear his place, saying: "That was sure yummy!", or "That was dee-wicious." Rachael would usually be the last to finish having spent most of the time telling stories about the day, using the stage to full advantage. And she would almost always leave behind a plate of a mashed-up concoction that she'd "finish later".

So it was nice to be able to experience those same kind of things again, with all of the activity and all of the conversation that goes along with it. It made for a wonderful weekend.

The only downside to the whole weekend is that there is nothing lonelier than driving home after dropping the kids off at their schools.

The Long Road Home