Age Has Its Privileges 2

Age Has Its Privileges 2

This post is an update to: “Age Has Its Privileges”, posted February 17, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/02/age-has-its-privileges.html 

Many years ago this time of the month there would be a special excitement in the air about the quickly approaching Thanksgiving Day Holiday.  That excitement, however, was very different from today’s excitement because we were just getting started.  Back then the family was made up of just the two of us.  The old saying what goes around comes around certainly applies in our lives today, but yet so different as to be almost perfect.  We are back to being just the two of us at home again.

Much of the time, its back to being just the two of us, but the difference is that our house can be full of love and laughter in a moment’s notice.   Our children have all grown up and started their own families, yet they all live near enough to be able to drop by with short or no notice.  Most of grandchildren drop by after school or before swim lessons just to spend time with the grandparents.  I’d be willing to bet that they have more toys at our house than they do at their own houses.  For spring and summer weather there is swings in the back yard, and they enjoy chasing each other over or around the sprinklers, and even swimming when supervision is available.

If I had been smart enough to plan my life to turn out as it did, I would be considered a genius.  Instead we lived and provided the best life we could provide for our children, and the outcome was heaven sent. 

Back that many years ago, I remember our first few Thanksgiving Day meals.  We had moved out of town (across the mountains) to the west side of the State.  No family around us, just my bride and me standing back to back against the world.  I seem to remember having a meal from a Sambo’s Restaurant (they have either gone out of business or merged).  This restaurant today would be equivalent to a Denny’s Restaurant (not exactly fine cuisine, but it was open).  Soon after that, our first son joined us, and we would stay home and make a meal at home, and that was the beginning of a new tradition which still stands today.

This time around the turkey is preparing to be the main attraction even if just as a center piece. It seems that many family members have given up eating meat, so I will be forced to eat their share of the turkey (not really, I like turkey sandwiches in the following week).  My wife and I haven’t travel for the holiday for so long that we may not know the way anyway.  I am glad to be comfortably home surrounded by family, with the added laughter of the grandchildren.

I wish all of you, who read and otherwise follow this blog a very happy experience during Thanksgiving Day weekend.  I wish you good health, safety and comfort this week and every week throughout the year.  The best is yet to come….