Shabbat Reflections

It's Shabbat - I shouldn't be blogging. I should be working on papers. I woke up at 6:30AM this morning after a late-night of hanging out with friends. You may have read in a previous post that we held our annual post-Thanksgiving Shabbat Dinner. It went off without a hitch... almost. Kind of. Sort of. OK, I TOTALLY screwed up the green bean casserole.

All in all, it was a great night. I couldn't have done it without my friend Matan. He came early to help me cook and keep me company while Craig cleaned. He was FANTASTIC! Granted, I kicked him out of the kitchen at some point so he could chill with the rest of the peeps at our house.

I missed Thanksgiving in Detroit more than usual this year. Everyone convened at my Mom's house for Turkey Day. Yes, I mean everyone. My sisters, their families, in laws, outlaws, my Aunt and Uncle came in from Arizona, my cousin came in from Seattle, AND my Dad and Stepmom ALSO ate at my Mom's house.

I've waited 19 years for that to happen.

The closest I ever got to seeing it happen was when my sister got married six years ago. During the wedding planning phase, all the parents came together at my Mom's house to talk about the wedding and the planning. At the time, I was dating a guy who kept me as far away from that house as possible. Around 45 minutes after the brunch finished, my sister called and said the coast was clear.

I commend my parents for putting any underlying issues aside and breaking bread as a family. In the end, we're all family. They're connected by children and grandchildren and I am proud of my parents. I'm also sad I missed it.

Now, it's Shabbat and I have a lot to reflect on. I miss my family ... a lot. Especially this time of year. Maybe I'll get to see them over Pesach.