Happy Thanksgiving!

Every year we celebrate a holiday based on giving thanks for our blessings by running around the state of Alabama visiting various parents, grandparents, and relatives. We spend approximately 10 hours in the car over five days. Generally by the time I return home from my 4-day “vacation” I am exhausted and in need of a day off. However, this year I realized that this is really what this holiday is about.

We start off our holiday every year by driving two and a half hours on Wednesday night to arrive at my husband’s aunt’s house where we are greeted by her neighbor’s barking dogs. These dogs will bark all night and we will get no sleep. We can count on this as sure as any “sure bet” at the track. There is that slight chance another horse will win out but not likely. And, as expected, that was the case this time with them giving us a brief reprieve from midnight to 2:45am and another one from 5am until 6am. The reprieve ended, however, when Aunt T got up and started banging around the kitchen for the next hour (because she is deaf and doesn’t realize her actions actually make noise) until I gave up and crawled out of bed at 7am. Happy Thanksgiving!

But it was a Happy Thanksgiving because just as I gathered up my toiletries for my shower to try to wake myself up, my sleepy-eyed little bundle of joy wanders into my room and, at the sight of me, runs over to give me a big hug and says “Good morning, Mommy. I love you.” Joy. So, I move about getting ready, having breakfast, trying to push the fog out of my mind that comes when I’ve had no sleep. We get to my mother-in-law’s house and Doug informs her that we need sleep. Desperately. So we crawl into bed and Doug rolls over and says, “do you realize this is exactly where we were at this same time last year because of those dogs?” And we laugh. Then we fall asleep. Happy Thanksgiving!

We awake to a house filled with all the smells you could dream of for Thanksgiving – turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes… and the list goes on and on. We stumble out of the bedroom and wait, maybe not so patiently, until we can dive into the scrumptious spread. Happy Thanksgiving!

The weekend proceeds with another whole Thanksgiving dinner set out at my grandmother’s house where we meet up with my grandmothers, parents, and cousins. We stuff ourselves yet again and catch up with our relatives that we don’t see nearly often enough. Happy Thanksgiving!

On Saturday I always go shopping with my mom – who has never finished her Christmas shopping by then. Even if we don’t buy much, we always have a good time just hanging out and visiting away from the hustle and bustle at the house. It is a quiet time for just us and possibly Doug and my cousin Peggy. Happy Thanksgiving!

By Saturday night, we have another tradition – Jack’s Hamburgers. We are always so sick of that favorite meal of turkey and dressing by Saturday that we always order Jack’s for dinner. Happy Thanksgiving!

On Sunday, we make the five hour journey home, stopping for another visit and Mexican food on the way home. We arrive home exhausted and dump our suitcases in the bedrooms to be unpacked another day. Sometimes a week later. Happy Thanksgiving!

So, some people wonder why we put ourselves through this “ordeal” year after year. The answer is simple – we love it and it is what we are thankful for! I am thankful that our family is still here for us to visit. I am thankful for the relationships we have within our family when so many people we know don’t get along with members of their family and couldn’t dream of wanting to spend days with them. I am thankful that T’s neighbor does things for her around the house despite his noisy and annoying dogs. I am thankful for my wonderful, loving, and healthy little boy who sometimes seems to instinctively know when I need a tender moment with him. I am thankful when I can get a little extra sleep as I find myself tired a lot these days – with or without barking dogs to keep me up. I am thankful for my husband who makes me smile and laugh even when I feel beaten. I am thankful that we always have plenty of food and never have to worry from where our next meal is coming. I am thankful my grandmothers are still around to share their stories and their love despite their advancing ages. I am thankful they are still able to remember so many details from their lives. I am thankful my son has had the opportunity to know them and love them. I am thankful for the options I have each and every day even when these are simple things like where I want to eat dinner. I am thankful we have money for small extravagances like eating out and going shopping. I am thankful we are healthy enough to travel to see our families. I am thankful they are healthy enough to have us. I am thankful for my home even when it is messy. It is my sanctuary. My place to rest after such a long weekend. I am thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!