Thanksgiving

I am thankful for family and old and new friends, none more than the Davenport clan with whom I literally shared a playpen and with whom we are still good friends 50+ years later.

When I lived in WNY state, I spent most Thanksgivings with their daughter Wendy and her family, even before the two children came along. I am proud to be the children's Fairy Godmother.

We always sat down to Thanksgiving dinner on the Friday after, as driving from Detroit to Rochester, or the reverse, was much easier on Thanksgiving Day when most other travelers were already at their destinations. We always felt that Thanksgiving isn't a specific date; it's when your loved ones are with you.

We had many happy times together, but those opportunities shrank when I moved to California and the children grew up and moved away to college - it wasn't the same when we couldn't all be together. But last year, My Beloved and I conspired with the now-grown children to surprise Wendy and Ray with a visit on Thanksgiving. With emails and phone calls flying back and forth we arranged flights, made reservations, sneaked secret airport pickups and were all calmly sitting at the table in Michigan toasting each other with champagne when Wendy and Ray walked in. Comrades in conspiracy - it was our finest hour! This picture was taken at that time.

This year, we'll be in Hawaii with our Island ohana, both the much-loved blood relatives and the extended family we have collected there over many years. We'll sit down with a multi-generational group ranging in age from 90+ to almost 12. Our oldest guest still plays a wicked game of tennis. Our youngest one is an animal lover who will enjoy introducing us to all her pets. My old pal Meredith will bring her famous Pumpkin Crunch dessert and we'll share pictures of our grandchildren. I expect there will be other guests as well, as my brother's wife is the soul of hospitality. We'll arrange long tables on the lanai, cover them with a bright Hawaiian print cloth and freshly picked flowers from the garden, sit down in mismatched chairs and enjoy another kind of togetherness.

While we're in Hawaii, we'll be making new friends, too. Michelle and I have made plans to meet at a coffee shop and to stroll the farmer's market there together. Ain't life grand?

Happy Thanksgiving!