I wrote this two years ago, but it’s making the rounds again, and I’m so glad.
My daughter-in-law is Filipina.. Her mother was one of nine children. Most of the surviving family members gather for special occasions. Diana hosts Thanksgiving, and that’s where we went for our feast this year.
These gatherings are epic. The love, warmth, laughter, and joking-around create a cacophony that sends some of the more sensitive souls out for a breath of air!
There’s never a dull moment. Before you’ve run out of after dinner conversation the games begin. (I won a Starbuck’s card at pass-the-pumpkin and lost $5 on five rounds of Bingo).
Planning what to take and thinking of a hostess gift, I remembered that Auntie Diana LOVED my little Tiffany lamp. It was languishing in the storeroom as the recent acquisition of a plant had replaced the figurine in the Center of my coffee table. The Faerie now stood where the lamp had been.
It had come with the house as part of my husband’s inheritance, so I had to check with him. We agreed.
Diana’s smile lit up the room when I gave it to her. At a gathering already filled with smiles, this one stood out. The feeling of joy spread, like shared fire at a candle-lighting.
I have never felt happier or more thankful for the abundance in my life. Love, extended family, joy, and material goods enough to give away.
Thank you Diana, Vickie, and all of the dear hearts and gentle people gathered there.
There couldn’t be a sweeter start to this glorious season of waning and returning light. Happy holy-days everyone. May we all remember what matters.