My crew and I are going over to my brothers house. It should be a decent sized turnout with I’d guess around 15-20 of us from immediate family to extended family, in laws and friends.
We don’t know how many more Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners we’ll have with Dad so even though it’s a lot of work for my brother it’s a labor of love. We used to host the holidays but after my brother bought a bigger home he wanted to host which was fine with us. I enjoy getting together with my family but I get the most joy watching Dad and knowing that he’s bursting with pride at having successfully raised a bunch of kids that grew up to be a close, loving and successful family. These holiday get togethers are as much a chance to celebrate the holidays as they are a chance to give Dad something to look forward to and to refill his “tank of life”. With Mom gone Dad is lost wandering through his days and trying to fill his spare time. He’s very healthy and fit for an 82 year old guy that’s been to the doctor twice in 82 years and who smoked for almost 70 years having quit altogether about 5 years ago.
This time of the year is for family…to reconnect, to laugh, to reminisce and to remember what is really important in life. The good food is a good excuse for gathering but the company is what matters.imho
