Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving


Being single and 2000 miles away from family can make Thanksgiving an interesting experience. Yet even as I will not be with them in Ohio tomorrow, my family is always in my heart and at the forefront of my thoughts.

I have a wonderful family, and we have an unspoken and unconditional love for one another that amazes me. We do not speak as often as perhaps we should, but we always seem to pick up right where we left off each time we talk as if we've been together the entire time.

My parents are the most patient people I know. God knows I have not deserved the patience they've shown me over the years, but I believe their patience has paid dividends, for even with all the stupid things I've done I've finally "figured it out" and become a person I know they are proud of beyond the typical parental pride all parents have for their offspring.

If you know me, you know that is an incredible accomplishment.

My brother and sister are not only family, but they have been two of my best friends for years. When I needed someone to talk to, they always listened. Even when they could tell I was in a self-destructive phase, they listened and helped me rationalize what was happening in my life, offered advice, and never left me feeling uncertain of their love. They both are happily married and have beautiful families, and I am extremely proud of them.

My three nieces and two nephews are just the cutest and most loving kids I've ever met in my life. I went home last Christmas and really got a chance to spend some time with all of them, and Uncle Soloman walked away from that experience beaming with pride and felt like an absolute hero.

Through that visit came two of the most touching moments of my life. First was the moment when we were opening gifts, and I was group-hugged by five precious little people who hardly knew who I was, but understood how much I love them. Second was when I found out how my nieces all kept asking to go back to visit Uncle Soloman, and they had such a tough time understanding that I didn't live with my Mom and Dad, but I had to go home to a place very far away. It was an overwhelming feeling to know that I was the reason they wanted to go visit Mom and Dad's house...

As you celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish for you to know that I am very grateful for every one of you that I have come to know through this incredible blogging experience. You all have become my extended family; you keep me laughing, you touch my heart, and you inform me. You make me feel good when you comment, and I greatly appreciate each of you taking the time from your busy lives to come spend some time finding out if Soloman had something wise to say that day. Your compliments keep me working harder to improve my writing, which helps me improve as a person, which gives me greater confidence in everything I do, and for that I am grateful.

This truly is the great American holiday. While we are certainly living in perilous times and have much work on the horizon, we all have many reasons to be thankful. We live in the richest nation on Earth, at one of the most incredible times in terms of discovery and invention. Within my lifetime we have witnessed such amazing inventions that it truly boggles my mind, and with the help of God and common sense we will hopefully use all of our capacity as a nation to overcome all obstacles before us and become a stronger, more bountiful nation.

We can do anything, for we are Americans. God bless, and Happy Thanksgiving.

14 comments:

Teresa said...

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

You are right. Even in these turbulent times we as Americans have very much to be thankful for in our lives. Our family members are very important people in our lives. And, even though you are miles away from your nieces, Uncle Soloman is an extremely important person in their lives. I hope that you are able to see them soon. What a beautiful family picture!

The Conservative Lady said...

Hi Sol:
This is a beautiful post and I found myself smiling throughout reading it. You have a beautiful family and I hope you'll be back to visit with them soon. I can empathize with you about being far away from family at the holidays as our son is in NYC, dad in Philly, brother and family in NJ. Just me and hubby in FL.
Thanks for being one of my blogger buddies and I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Soloman said...

Teresa - thank you.

I'm hoping maybe this Christmas I'll be going home again.. we'll see.

Soloman said...

TCL - thanks to you too.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so they say.. it gets tough around the holidays, but we all choose our paths.

Luckily Dad gets miles or points or whatever from the airlines, and they have an extra bedroom, so it's just a matter of scheduling and I'll hopefully be back to visit soon.

Enjoy your day.. and thank you to you too!

RightKlik said...

Great-looking family...happy Thanksgiving!

Unknown said...

Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for the good work you do here.

Amusing Bunni said...

Hi Solomon!
Happy Thanksgiving! What a wonderful tribute to your beautiful family, and to our Country!

I can see we are on the same wavelength, being so happy for our blogging friends and the great joys they give to our lives.

You are very lucky to have a family, even though they are far! I'm single and an only child, and sadly, my parents have gone to be with the Lord, as has everyone else. I don't have an extended family either. Yours is very good looking and I know they will be with you in spirit, and in our heart. What a cute story about your nieces & nephews.

They are very lucky to have such a wise uncle Solomon. Happy Thanksgiving!

tammy said...

This is one of my favorite posts. I loved getting to know you a little better and your nieces and nephews are adorable. I hope you get to see them again soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

jay son said...

we live about a thousand miles from home and have missed all but 1 Christmas and 2 thanksgivings, so i know right where you are at on this.
happy thanksgiving solly.

Pedaling said...

you have a beautiful family.
so glad you are at a point in life to enjoy and feel their love for you....such a blessing, one not everyone is so fortunate to enjoy.
i think we all get to a point where we see and appreciate all our parents put up with and sacrificed in behalf of their children.
i loved this post and am thankful for people like you who take the time to write what and how they feel.

thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Candle said...

It sounds like you have a great family, very sorry you can't spend it with all of them. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Mikki said...

Sweet, sweet post! You have a gorgeous family. Hope you had a beautiful day, even though it wasn't there with them.

Barb said...

Hi Solomon,

Your mom sent me the link to your blog today and I'm so glad she did. I loved your Thankgiving post. Know that you got a family of cousins in VA thinking of you during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The Osborne family is definitely giving Thanks after the rollercoaster year we've had!
I'll be checking the blog often. Take care!
Love, Barb

Soloman said...

Thanks to you all for your kind words :)

Barb - glad Mom passed the link along. Feel free to drop me comments anytime, of course, and spread the word if you think my writings would be of interest to others.

Good news, everyone - as long as there's no issue at work (I'll find out Monday) Uncle Soloman is going home for the holidays!