Change happens...

This past week we celebrated Thanksgiving with my wife's parents and with my Mom and something struck me in what could be a "throw away" moment... it happened in my mind while helping my wife's folks load up their car with all the stuff they brought with them from their home in Indiana and all the new stuff they bought on "black Friday" (i'm thinking with regard to a certain president-elect that day should have taken on an entirely different meaning this year ;)... anyway i had the strangest sensation at that moment... i realized...."Hmm, there may not be a whole lot more family events like this..."

Not because i don't love my in-laws or my Mom or because all we do is fight at family gatherings about religion, politics or this year's embarrassment-to-the-family-family member... but because everyone is getting "older"...

It seems a bit unreal to me that i have one son who is about to head off to college and another one who will probably do the same thing in just a couple more years after his brother... the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas will be different... it's hard to explain but it is profound.

My family is changing...

My in-laws and my Mom are growing older, Ruthie and i are growing older and get this... my children are well on their way to adulthood.... it's weird. It's one of those things where i think i should be like... happy.

And instead, i became all introspective and things....

Anyway, we had a good time, and tomorrow (Saturday) will go on what could be a last current "family configuration" trip to a tree farm and cut down our own Christmas tree... something Ruthie and i first did when we lived in Calgary... that tree cost us 5 bucks Canadian (in US currency about $2)... oh yeah it was a long time ago... i really need to be more careful about those "throw away" moments...