Thanksgiving

A quiet Wednesday morning drive brought me to the parking lot, and the hotel shuttle carried me the rest of the was to the airport. Despite traditional news blasts of end-of-days traffic and security lines, I found O'Hare airport to be rather calm and fluid throughout the entire check-in and boarding process.

Traveling alone made movement unbelievably simple and nearly silent. With a phone and photo ID in pocket, my single carry-on bag was my only other item of transport.

Richmond, Virginia is timeless as I view it from the air. The fall colors linger and the warmth of memories to come seem to welcome from below.

Happiness and joy are words too simple and cliche to truly explain my feelings upon meeting my family on the ground, but they are an adequate place to start. Stories and smiles and hugs and laughter flow freely as we settle into couches and chairs and soft throw pillows with cups of dark coffee and snacks of granola and chips surround.

The beauty of being here is not really in the things we are about to do over the next few days, but rather in the simple fact that we are together no matter what we do. A board game holds as much merit as a French dinner downtown.

To see my younger cousins grow and be these amazingly intelligent and hard-working adults is truly a gift. Days of video games and all night movie marathons are past but not forgotten. Their transition into adulthood inspires and reminds me of memories now dusty with the grit of time.

My aunt and uncle are beyond words in their love for their family. Their hospitality is as wonderful as their conversation and intellect. I am reminded of the importance of passion and dedication to being a whole human being when I am around them. Recounts of their world travels cross with local politics and recent scholarly articles. All of this is then combined with puns and laughs and visions for the future and we find ourselves with hearts fills with gratitude and an overwhelming feeling of contentment.

While we are wrapped in our cocoon of family, our lives everywhere else continue to swirl, and I am eternally grateful to my family in South Bend for their support and love during my absence.

I leave Richmond with a calm sense of continuation. This tradition of travel and togetherness has been fulfilled for another year, and it will be again next year. While our time together always seems insufficient, it always manages to suffice for another year.