A Great Thanks Giving

OK, yea, so I’m mixing a little of Thanks Giving in with my writings on Meth and you must be thinking that I’m gone a bit crazy,,,just hang in there and you’ll get it. Now,,,,For a long time Thanks Giving for me always meant a long trip to McCloud California to visit my Grand Parents and to play in the snow, ride snow mobiles, and yea, eat! I think my first trip must have been when I was around 8 or 9, and my trips would continue for a long time. I was there when my hair crew long and my Grandpa freaked out, Debbie sat at my Grandma’s table when she received her engagement ring, Nicki took her first steps in the kitchen, and one night my Dad handed me the reins and let me handle all the kids fighting in my Grandma’s living room. Such grand memories of that house and so often I wish I could return there and watch another generation warm it’s walls.

Now Thanks Giving has become a bit more complicated and it involves phone calls, work schedules, travel time, or getting the house ready for guest, or check the car, change the oil…and the list goes on. I know that some of us also have family situations that can at times make it a bit uncomfortable, and it seems we spend time bouncing around visiting and you never seem to have that complete family get together.

This year we headed out to Vegas just as we did last year and we were excited for a nice quiet, relaxing time with family. As we pulled into Vegas we got the news that my oldest Nephew David was going to be there and we started to stress out a bit. The last time I was with David it was not a good thing (read this entry “Meth-Ology“), and we were looking forward to some One on One with my Nephew Rand, David’s younger brother. We were not to sure how this was going to work out, but our first night at my sister’s had me ordering pizza and eventually I had to make my way upstairs to see what he would want on his pizza. There was a little eye contact and a quiet hello, but I grabbed him and helped him up and we had a good hug. From that point on it just went very good and it was such a blessing to have him doing well. Rand and I had plenty of time on the Xbox and we are so very proud of him and what he has accomplished in school. It was also a big blessing to see them interact as brothers with the joking and kidding as most brothers do, and I know for my sister this must have been the best part of her Thanks Giving.

I’m not sure how things will go in the passing weeks, but for now we are Thankful that we got to have our David back and we hope in time that it is for good. I’m thankful to see Rand grab hold of school and responsibilities and his big dreams. I was thankful to stay up late at night and play Xbox games, and I was thankful to be at my sister’s as part of her Family. This year we got a little more that just Turkey and stuffing, we received a blessing from Hope, Hope in what can be, and a glimpse of what we are all hoping for.

David, Me, and Rand