On Thanksgiving, Friends, and Family
Jean Sexton muses:
It had been a while since I had prepared a Thanksgiving meal for friends. In recent years past, I visited family and brought them contributions to the feast. Last year I helped Leanna fix Thanksgiving dinner for the Coles, Petrick, and me. This year the four of us had Thanksgiving at my apartment. I was worried because my apartment is much smaller than the Coles' home and because it had been years since I had been responsible for most of the dinner.
I decided to stop worrying. The world wouldn't end if the meal weren't perfect or if The Wolf pulled out all his toys (and he has quite a few) right before my friends arrived. The holiday isn't about worrying; it is about giving thanks for what you have. And what we had would be enough for a small army, even if something went wrong.
So I spent the day with friends. I looked back over my "days of thanks" (the days in November when I remind myself of what I am thankful for) and much of it was for family and friends. My friends are not only here in Amarillo. They exist all over the world and we are connected with those ties of friendship (and more tangibly perhaps) be communication. We use a variety of electronic formats to reach out. We care when one of us is hurt or is sad; we celebrate when things go well. Friendships are not longer restricted by location -- you can become good friends across states, countries, and continents.
Friends and family are what matter during this holiday period. Sometimes in the rush to get gifts at the lowest price possible we lose sight of that. Perhaps spending a few dollars more, but not being frustrated in the crowds and elbowing, is worth it when we come back home in a good mood.
So while the marketing director in me wishes to urge you to buy, buy, buy, the social person in me urges you to spend time with your family and friends. That is the gift that matters most. (And if that time is spent blowing up ships or RPGing on strange new planets, then that is good, too.)
I hope your Thanksgiving was all it could be and I wish you a peaceful time during these next few weeks.
It had been a while since I had prepared a Thanksgiving meal for friends. In recent years past, I visited family and brought them contributions to the feast. Last year I helped Leanna fix Thanksgiving dinner for the Coles, Petrick, and me. This year the four of us had Thanksgiving at my apartment. I was worried because my apartment is much smaller than the Coles' home and because it had been years since I had been responsible for most of the dinner.
I decided to stop worrying. The world wouldn't end if the meal weren't perfect or if The Wolf pulled out all his toys (and he has quite a few) right before my friends arrived. The holiday isn't about worrying; it is about giving thanks for what you have. And what we had would be enough for a small army, even if something went wrong.
So I spent the day with friends. I looked back over my "days of thanks" (the days in November when I remind myself of what I am thankful for) and much of it was for family and friends. My friends are not only here in Amarillo. They exist all over the world and we are connected with those ties of friendship (and more tangibly perhaps) be communication. We use a variety of electronic formats to reach out. We care when one of us is hurt or is sad; we celebrate when things go well. Friendships are not longer restricted by location -- you can become good friends across states, countries, and continents.
Friends and family are what matter during this holiday period. Sometimes in the rush to get gifts at the lowest price possible we lose sight of that. Perhaps spending a few dollars more, but not being frustrated in the crowds and elbowing, is worth it when we come back home in a good mood.
So while the marketing director in me wishes to urge you to buy, buy, buy, the social person in me urges you to spend time with your family and friends. That is the gift that matters most. (And if that time is spent blowing up ships or RPGing on strange new planets, then that is good, too.)
I hope your Thanksgiving was all it could be and I wish you a peaceful time during these next few weeks.
posted by Federation Commander at 5:19 AM
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