thanksgiving

I wish I could say this thanksgiving was filled with some good 'ole R&R sitting around the fire, watching movies, and just simply hanging out with the fam. However, I cannot. My holiday was packed full with errands correlated to the upcoming wedding of my dear sister, cooking the meals until thanksgiving since my mother was focused on thanksgiving meal itself, cleaning the never ending mess that is our house due to a redo of the floors, shopping for bridesmaid gifts, dresses to the showers and rehearsal dinner, ... It was craziness above all crazies. (I understand that the last sentence didn't really make that much sense, but you got me, right?) 

But, here is the reason that I love holidays... up until everyone gets there you are going a mile a minute (especially if your name is Karen Frost, my mother). You are running to and fro the grocery store, picking up and packing up anything and everything that seems out of order so that all can be just right for your family members and loved ones who would really care less if they saw those shoes placed at the bottom of the stairs or the dish sitting in the sink. Your mind is racing, you never sit down and when you do, you get mad at yourself because it takes twice the effort to get back up than it would've been to just stay on your feet. The best part is when you hear the doorbell or that knock at the door. In walks in twenty or so of your favorite people, ready to spend the day with you. It is in the moments of your "Daddy Bob" quieting the room in order to say a funny rhyme he had made up to make you laugh before he prays that really make me smile. It's in his prayer that brings tears to your eyes, hearing his words of gratitude and taking the words right out of your mouth about each person in the room. I know I'm not supposed to, but I opened my eyes during his prayer this past Thursday. I looked around and first glanced at my sweet Grandmother who was sitting down due to bad knees. She is one of the most grateful and considerate people I've ever known. She will not do or say anything without it being a compliment of gratitude for who you are to her. I hope that someday I could come close to that kind of gentleness. And then there was my other Grandmama who embodies a quiet and gentle heart. She has gone through her fair share of heartache in her life. I notice her tear up when my Daddy Bob asked for a moment of silence for those that had passed. I knew the people she was thinking of, and my heart longed to take away her ache. With all the pain that she has been through, she still has that joy and spirit of life within her. And of course, there is my mother. Beautiful. Full of life and personality. She draws you in, makes you feel special when you talk to her. I kid with her about how she never stops moving, but that is a quality that I long to have. I long to have the commitment and dedication that I've never seen lacking. She is the heart of this family. 

It is in those moments during the holidays that I love. Thank you Grandmother, Grandmama, and Momma for giving me hope that somewhere inside me, I encompass some of what each one of you possess.