See how I can turn everything around and make it all about me? It's a gift I have.
Yesterday, Gabe was baptized, and my mom celebrated her seventieth birthday. It was a little touch and go there for a while. (Life is "exciting" when you don't mind leaving things until the last minute!) But, after several hours of really great sleep, I find myself awake just wanting to record how grateful I feel for my family and for my friends. And for family that are my friends.
This is an incredibly busy time of year. It is hard to carve out time to get together at all, so I wasn't surprised that our gathering yesterday didn't include many of our loved ones. In fact, I think that was part of not making a grand affair of it all - I didn't want to serve up one more obligation to complicate people's lives. Fortunately, Gabe is okay with that approach and so is my sweet mother. It makes it a little easier to graciously decline if an invitation is proffered at the last minute. The downside, of course, and it's kind of a big one, is that people who genuinely would have liked to have come weren't able to because they just didn't know, or didn't have enough time to arrange it.
Anyway, even though it was a relatively small group of family and friends, it had me thinking of all the people I love and am grateful for. Chances are that if you are taking the time to read this, YOU are one of the people I am thinking of and am so grateful for. (REALLY.)
Brian and I have been so blessed with family and friends who are like family over the years. I almost want to start listing people. But that would take so long and I would end up leaving someone out just because I am a flawed human being.
As a rule, I try to avoid putting this kind of stuff out into the world. It's overly sweet and has too few specifics to make it interesting, but I'm just going to do it tonight. I'm just a little overwhelmed by the good memories and all the good feels.
To all of our loved ones that miraculously came to our gathering yesterday, thank you. We love you.
To all you you glorious people who weren't there and who (maybe) weren't even invited: thank you. We love you. I really feel like "I see you." I am truly grateful for the love you have shown me and my family.
In closing, I would like to thank my brother, Mike, for getting some adorable clothes for Lena. I didn't think they would "work" because they seemed like the wrong size and season, but she wore them yesterday to the festivities and were just right! Thank you, brother! Once again, I have (happily) been proven wrong by the universe.
