Happy....Holidays

I didn't get the Thanksgiving post up.

I naively thought that I would have time this weekend to get it done, since we had two extra days off. Plenty of time, right?

Nothing to do but eat, watch TV, and lay around the house, right?

Somewhere between here and Toledo, we filled up our long weekend. It was good though.

The Bride and The Boy and I enjoyed ourselves.

Even though the dinner conversation started out awkward and only got worse. Even though there were stresses hanging over us that didn't go away. Even though we didn't quite get to to everything we wanted to do.

It was still a good weekend, and I'll tell you why:

We weren't at work. We were with family. We got to watch our son discover stairs. And noisy birds. And football. We ate spectacular food. We got to go shopping. We got to walk around outside for a while. We watched movies on a massive screen while eating popcorn and sitting in chairs that are designed to put you to sleep no matter how well rested you are.

But the Thanksgiving was held in tension. The economy is not so hot right now, and those that work in the banking industry are feeling the pinch. That means us.

As at any family gathering, those who are present remember those who cannot be present, and this Thanksgiving was no different.

So it was with more sober thoughts that we gave thanks this year.

But this weekend also was the beginning of the Advent season, a time to prepare and anticipate the birth of Jesus. This anticipation is the anticipation of the New Heaven and the New Earth, the renewal of all creation.

No matter what situation we find ourselves in, Advent is the ultimate Thanksgiving.


wingnut