On the Couch

I am sitting here with Audrey, watching a Snoopy Christmas on TV.  We are munching on fresh Challah from the bread maker.  The darkness has taken a complete hold of the evening, and we begin to turn our thoughts towards the week ahead.  Audrey is beginning in a new classroom, completely consisting of 5-year-olds.  She is excited, yet nervous.  Change is something that does not sit easily for for a lot of us, so it is completely understandable that a young person has some reserves about moving to a new classroom on the first day of the week.

Before a new week begins, we look back at a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday.  We are still recovering from the 14-hour drive back from Virginia.  We arrived home at about 2am, and have been taking it "easy" all Sunday, savoring a few movies, quiet cleaning, and lots of laying-out on the couch.  Violet is in the midst of a 4-hour nap, which she will soon be awoken from so she can decorate a gingerbread house.

The drive to Virginia was a long, sometimes dangerous, adventure.  The lake effect snow in Indiana made for a 10-foot visibility radius.  That, coupled with the dark, made driving a 12 mph experience for a couple hours.  But soon enough we were clear and the rest of the evening was a blur of highway and gas stations until sunrise and a slow trek on highway 95 into Richmond.

Our time with the family was precious.  Every Thanksgiving is packed with memories of cheese and crackers, smiles, laughter, figs and pumpkin custard, making puns, and sharing the things that have affected us the most throughout the last year.  Having the chance to discuss education and progressive learning with my aunt and uncle, and to enjoy scones while sharing laughs is something I will do my best to never miss.    Being part of this Thanksgiving tradition for the past 15 years, I have learned that there are many things in life that change and pieces of who we are alter and evolve.  However, sitting down at a table with the same core of people is something special and something to be held dear as the years breeze by.

The drive home is always one of warm memories and deep thought.  Passing through West Virginia in the mountains watching the sunset and the land turn purple really provides the setting for thought and reflection.  Talking about where we want to go in life, thinking about family members not present at Thanksgiving, wondering about our children and their futures, all these things and more are points for thinking as the miles tick-off on the odometer.

So now we return to "life" with all of its routines, daily rituals, and the things we are most used to.  Thanksgiving is a memory, but one that shines with our continued lighting of the Hanukkah candles for the next few nights.  We move forward now, though, with the memories and experiences of the past few days, making us stronger in heart and spirit.