Thankful for the blessings
Published 11-26-2020
As I write this column, my household is recovering from a whirlwind road trip to Austin last week to celebrate the marriage of Vince’s daughter Sarah, and her fiancé Trent, on Friday evening at a beautiful property in the canyons surrounding the city.
While Sarah had to deal with planning a wedding during a pandemic, and everything that entailed, everything went off without a hitch, even if the celebration was much smaller than was originally intended before Corona Virus entered our vocabulary.
As the year progressed, and lockdowns and restrictions prevailed, all plans were put on hold. But they both decided that there would always be an excuse to wait, and they were ready to be married after being engaged for three years, so full steam ahead.
Thankfully the Texas weather cooperated with beautifully sunny, warm fall temperatures... so an outdoor event with acceptably spaced socially distanced tables and plenty of hand sanitizer made the celebration as safe as possible.
After everything crazy that 2020 has brought, coming together to witness a marriage between two people who are perfectly suited to each other is cause for celebration and joy.
That it’s Vince’s daughter, who I’ve had the honor to watch grown from a sassy teenager who loved shopping, her dogs and the Spice Girls to a determined woman... who still loves shopping, her dogs and the Spice Girls... and has thankfully lost none of her sass, made the celebration even more joyous and special.
More than once tears were shed. And all were happy ones.
Corona be damned. Love and commitment were celebrated with happiness and laughter, and more than a recommended dose of Tito’s Vodka.
Throughout the weekend, Vince and I both reflected on how blessed our family has been, and I know that while there will be many things that each of us will be thankful for as we sit around the table this Thanksgiving, being able to come together to celebrate Sarah and Trent will be one of the first on our list.
Our family celebrations aren’t as large, or as regular since we moved to Tennessee. And getting everyone together is a little more involved when everyone resides in different states and have busy lives. It’s made me even more thankful for the time we can spend together... even if it means we had to wear a mask for dinner and drinks Saturday night for the after wedding celebrations in Downtown Austin.
Both Trent and Sarah have worked downtown at different bars since they first moved to Texas, so they took us to some of their favorite places on 6th Street, which early on was much less occupied and crowded than pre-COVID days, though there were plenty of people out having a good time on Austin’s famous street.
By the time we left the restaurant at 9:30... and the bar at around midnight, you could almost think there wasn’t a pandemic happening, most all of the restaurants and bars were full, and the street was shut down with those bar hopping and enjoying the atmosphere... if you could ignore the masks and businesses that were boarded up.
Which you can’t.
Even in the best of times, reality butts in and rears it’s ugly head.
Not to discount reality, but it’s better to focus on those closer blessings and reasons to be thankful. No matter how big or small.
And after the third or fourth round of shots with the bridal party, well everyone was more than happy to be thankful... parents of the bride included.
With all the division and unrest in society and fear of the pandemic, it’s easy to get distracted from the moments, and people, that bring value and joy to our lives.
Sometimes, those moments are big ones. Celebrated with friends and family, with photographers and dancing. Sometimes they are small ones... quiet moments of sharing heartfelt emotions or even an encouraging smile.
All deserve our thanks. All are a blessing.
All seem a little more worthy of giving thanks for after the insanity of this year.
So we are loudly thankful for a new official member of the family (You’re stuck with this crazy bunch now Trent, Godspeed and keep the vodka handy!) and a fun place to visit when we miss their faces too much. And after more than 24 hours driving in five days across four states... we all were more than thankful, Vince especially, to see our small Tennessee town and our house at the end of the road on Sunday night, far removed from the big city urban sprawl, packed freeways and masses of people as far as the eye can see.
While I’m thankful to be home... the whirlwind won’t stop until after Thursday, and I have a cooked turkey with all the trimmings ready to serve, without any kitchen disasters. Hopefully my luck holds... but who knows what 2020 has in store for us. I’m saying more than one prayer!
And while I’m being thankful... Thank you for giving me the space to rant and complain, and share our lives away from the West Side every week. I am always humbled to hear from those who read my column, whether they agree or not, and I am especially thankful for everyone who supports the newspaper. I am so very thankful for all of you.
Happy Thanksgiving from my motley crew!