Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday

Today is a special day, not only is it Thanksgiving, but it is also my oldest brother Itchy's Birthday. I feel bad for him having his birthday fall on or around (depending on the year) a major holiday.

For quite awhile Itchy got a pumpkin pie for his birthday cake, which would have been just fine for me, but has now turned him completely off to pumpkin pie.

I guess he could have just told himself all these years that everyone was getting together to celebrate his birthday because he is just that special to us. I tend to do that, make every thing fit nice and neat inside my head.

No worries, we have it all under control this year, Lowell is in charge of making a cake so we have all our bases covered on the birthday front, now for the Thanksgiving part.

I love the holidays! Every holiday brings something special to the festivities. Halloween is more get out and have fun, Christmas is more spiritual and holy, and then there is Thanksgiving which is totally about family and giving thanks for what we've been blessed with.

We have a tradition in our home, that I'm sure many people have, we go around the table as we are eating and say one thing we are grateful for that year. By no means am I a cryer so every year I say something goofy or rehearsed, but in my head I've already gone through this big rendition that would not leave a dry eye in the house if it came out of my mouth.

When I'm eating at my in-laws I would want to say something to the effect off:

My hole life I was subjected to horror stories about in-laws whether it was from family members or on TV. I just thought in-laws were something that were tolerable once a year in small doses. However, then I got married and I've been in ah every since.

I've been so impressed with the awesome job my in-laws have done on raising such a wonderful son who has turned into the best husband and father a woman could want. My in-laws opened their home to us not only every Sunday for dinner but for an entire year as we were transitioning from college to reality.

Everyone kept telling me the best way to ruin a relationship with your in-laws was to move in with them. I was so afraid of that coming to fruition and I'm not saying every thing was peachy all the time but I love and respect my in-laws even more because of that experience.

Then we lost our son and in the midst of trying to see something good come out of his death I realized that we, as a family, were closer. Our relationship had grown into something even more beautiful and I had my precious Sweeton to thank for that.

I have the best in-laws in the world. They are a great example to me of how sweet a marriage can be. Marriage doesn't have to end just because times get tough; if you endure, it only gets sweeter. I am very blessed to be a part of this family.

Now for a Thanksgiving with my family:

We have all been through a rough time at one point or another but only one rough time did we all go through together: our parent's divorce. It's hard to take something as horrible as not being a complete family any more and moving on, but that is just what we all did and we are all stronger and closer for it.

I hear of people who haven't talked to their siblings for years and I am dumb founded on how that could be. I can't go a week without know if all my siblings are okay or if they need help.

Granted some of us are closer than others but I learned an important thing this weekend down visiting Ann and Marie. I was a bit jealous of how close they've grown in the past year living together. I felt like I was being left out. Then Ann said something that stuck with me. She told me that for awhile her and I were really close and then her and Lowell were. It seems that we migrate from person to person because we all offer different things and we gravitate toward the one whom we need something from. Right now Ann and Marie need each other more than I need them and that's true. She wasn't saying that I'm not a part of them anymore but that I am in a good place and I don't need their love and support as much as they need it together.

I am so grateful to be a part of a family that recognizes each others strengths and weaknesses. We have held many family fasts and prayers in hopes that Brook would find his way back to the church and now, Wow, he's come such a long way. This past year was so hard on him to have his family dissolve everything he's worked so hard for now gone. But instead of feeling sorry for himself he's decided to make his life better. He's given up all his bad habits: smoking, drinking, chewing, coffee, and his wife all in one year. For normal human beings that would be impossible but he's not normal, he's Superman.

Itchy has had a tough year with going back to school and having to work nights. He's had to sacrifice a lot of time with his family in order to try and better their lives. His poor wife, Hotty, struggling with her own parent's divorce on top of her health problems just doesn't sound like fun. I often wonder how they are making things work but that is not important, the important part is that they are making it work and hopefully when they get through this struggle they will be even closer.

I could go on and name how in ah I am of each and everyone of my brothers and sisters I am. I love my family they are my most prized possession. I love them far above rubies or diamonds. My mom has worked very hard to keep us close and I feel she has done a phenomenal job. She is my hero and I am truly blessed to have been born into such a phenomenal family.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and Happy Birthday Itchy I hope you know how much we all love you!!!