Sharing stories

We are, at least according to the calendar, to winter, holidays, Advent and preparing for Christmas.  Where I live the weather is NOT giving us winter - thankfully - but even that is probably going to change.  One of the interesting things happening as we come together for the holidays is the telling of the stories of previous family get togethers.

This can be an interesting, informative and difficult thing to do.  It is also an important part of passing on the family history to the younger members of the family.   The interesting part can be when one person starts telling a story and other people start correcting, or changing, the story.  The informative part is when we explain how "things used to be" -- before cell phones and technology took over.  The difficult part is the way they are sometimes painful memories -- either because of what happened or the person no longer there to share.  It is still important for family to be able to come together and celebrate the crazy part of the family stories.

For instance.....  Thanksgiving brought back memories of the first Thanksgiving after my divorce.  I was living in Texas, near my folks to help them with the foster kids they were working with, and I invited every person I knew or could find who would be "by themselves" for Thanksgiving dinner.  They were to bring their kids too.  Mom and I ended up putting tables end to end from the kitchen door to the patio door -- across the dining room and the living room.  Mom and I sat by the kitchen and Dad sat with his back to the door - thankfully Texas in November is pretty nice temps (at least that year)!   Mom did a lot of the cooking but everyone brought a dish to share also.  The youngest was about 3 and Dad, the oldest, was in his late 60's by then.  A good time was had by all!  Something to think about.............