the weekend was full.
today i'm empty.
every year at this time as i'm expected to make the sudden shift from gratitude to joy,
i cannot help but feel a little robbed.
i'm a slow moving lingerer...a loller.
i need to take my time and sit with the sadness.
likewise, i prefer to pause so as to savor the goodness.
this flip of a switch mentality is completely foreign to me.
yet now that i'm here looking back at the times we shared over the past few days a bit of a blur...
a whirlwind,
i feel a little silly for being even the slightest bit blue.
it was a weekend long on fun.
on thanksgiving eve i watched the peanuts alone.
and i thought about how i used to watch it with my brother many moons ago, and then with my kids back before years were minutes.
yet i resisted the urge to wallow in pools of pity because growing up and out of charlie and the gang is normal.
so what's wrong with me?
no...don't answer that.
never mind.
on thanksgiving morning, i was the first to rise.
i went right back to the television.
this time for the parade.
my mom always had it on in the background while she attended to finishing touches for the big feast ahead.
she loved it.
now i love it too.
i feel like it's my time with her.
it's our thing.
and i take what i can get.
i was excited to see that cats is back.
it was my first broadway show on broadway.
my dad took me.
when you're a cat, thanksgiving is just another day.
when you're missing loved ones and it's damp, cold and grey, sometimes holidays feel more like solemnities than celebrations.
that is until the rest of the house comes to life,
including your cousin who hails from the very streets you're watching on t.v.
you put a quiche in the oven.
slowly the mood shifts.
the house feels warmer...it smells like comfort.
gradually the focus shifts from who is absent to who is present.
gradually the focus shifts from who is absent to who is present.
most of us bundled up for a brisk walk through the parkway.
always there is some activity before the days bachanalia.
it is as much a tradition as the parade, and driving over the river and through the woods, and turkey two ways.
it's a good tradition.
they all are.
another tradition is gathering on the deck for a group picture.
we can never see bodi and someone always has their eyes closed, but the photo is a treasured time capsule.
it's evidence: we came, we loved, we have much for to be grateful.
ted's latest obsessions are chess and vests.
i love anyone with passion.
i love anyone with passion.
he wore that fleece all weekend long (today too), and he played many matches with his dad and his uncle.
not just chess, but football and poker too.
i can remember when he was just a little shaver and he used to call it playing chest.
tell me that's not cute.
tell me he's not handsome.
tell me to order him another vest for christmas.
tell me to order him another vest for christmas.
we walked out into the woods to spread some of cousin carol's ashes.
it was sabrina's idea and a good one.
my dad and step-mom were touched that she thought a good resting place for her mom would be in their woods.
i believe it will be.
i believe it will be.
lily was chomping at the bit to help grandpa in the kitchen.
he loves that about her and he welcomes her despite the fact that he's rather territorial about his kitchen.
i didn't get any pictures of the feast, but trust me when i say that it was delish.
every.single.dish.
friday evening was girl's night out.
we had a date at a painting bar and we all loved being artistes for the night.
lily felt under the weather and had to leave us early, but she really didn't want to.
we rendered our interpretations of an evening walk.
and although we all said we'd do it again, not one of us wanted to hang our canvases in our homes.
after painting, we enjoyed a lovely dinner of small plates across the street...
the stars of which were an arugula dip and lobster stuffed piquillo peppers.
mussels too, and the company, of course.
we drove back to meet the boys and a sleeping lil along the lake.
a number of houses were already decorated for christmas.
it made me feel cozy and happy.
saturday was another girl's day.
on the itinerary was a ladies lunch followed by a little theater.
we enjoyed our fare and the funky decor at the old pabst brewery before heading to see elf.
the musical was a welcome dose of upbeat holiday cheer.
i think i enjoyed it most.
my mantra for the season is definitely sparklejollytwinklejingly.
we came home for an impromptu, yet tasty soup party featuring mike's cheesy chicken fajita, my sil's winter minestone, my dad's squash chowder and my lasagna soup.
it was a strong, stick to your ribs showing.
after dinner, we played a quick game of wits and wagers with real wagers and some wits.
sabrina and i stayed up chatting into the wee hours for the third night in a row after everyone left.
so late that we didn't make it to early church.
we made it to 11:30 mass though, which was healing and touching.
we sang my favorite o come, o come emmanuel even though it wasn't listed in the missal for this day.
i took it as a small sign.
we had just enough time to make a quick pit stop at gloriosos for lunch.
we had to go there in honor of carol.
i ordered the muffaletta pictured above in honor of her mom.
carol would always get this every.single.time.
now i'll always get it.
she would also eat every.single.bite.
i ate enough of it that i didn't have to eat for the rest of the day.
lily and i drove sabrina to the airport.
we got teary eyed as soon as we pulled away.
outside the terminal it was crowded with so many people parting ways...saying goodbye.
i knew we stood zero chance being the marshmallows that we are.
we put in elf as soon as we got home.
it was really good to laugh for 97 minutes straight.
it was also good to go to bed early and sleep for 8 hours.
we spent more time laughing than crying this weekend.
we looked at old photos and told almost forgotten stories and connected.
we ate good food, painted mediocre paintings, and told a few bad jokes.
we made plans: summer gathering at windmill beach.
new york sometime soon tbd for grandpa and the girls to see cats.
new york sometime soon tbd for grandpa and the girls to see cats.
we are looking forward, but not forgetting from whence we came.
that's the challenge...the beauty...the precarious nature of it all.
