Small Life, Slow Life: 92/100 {Thankful.}

I’m sitting in the back room at work while the sales floor is swarming with people, their bellies full with their wallets ready to empty.

I wasn’t sure, when we agreed to open the store on Thanksgiving, how many people would come. Even five minutes before we opened tonight, I had a deep fear that no one was going to come. And if people did come, I was nervous about what kind of people they would be. But I’m happy to say that I was wrong. Everyone is so festive, the mood is upbeat, and people are happily shopping and already picking out holiday gifts.

Being here of course means that I’m not with my family. But I luckily got to spend the whole day with them. I was able to stream some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Westminster Dog Show early in the day while I made deviled eggs. V and I watched her favorite holiday Sesame Street episode. Then we went to my in-laws’ and the food was wonderful. So was V, for the first hour, and then she had a massive meltdown just around the time I needed to leave for work. C ended up taking her home.

Still, I can say for sure that this year was the first year that C’s family felt like my family. I watched all the cousins playing together and realized that I’ve been coming around my in-laws’ home for over ten years now. My niece and nephew who were once little kids that I played with are now teenagers. And I settled into a familiar rhythm this year during Thanksgiving instead of just missing the way my family used to do it.