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December is always a wierd month of me. I'm not gonna lie. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so maybe I get angry at the marketing minions that try to skip over it and ultimately my underdog tendancies try to champion the forgotten significance of giving thanks. Well last week was an exceptionally special one - hard, meaninful, beautiful, sad, joyful, all of the above. Most of the weekend was filled w/ funeral proceedings for my dear friend's father who also happend to be close friends w/ my parents. Childhood friends of mine and life-long friends of my parents traveled from all across the country, gathering in Pittsburgh to celebrate his memory and legacy. It was a hard yet hopeful week. And in the mix of it all I had a realization that for the first time in maybe years, there were no family squabbles. No spiffs, no bickering, no explosions, no anything.

 

Just food and quality time. It was as if all of a sudden someone hit the reset button and we remembered, "oh yea, life is too short to be angry". I was reminded that seeing people, and allowing myself to be seen in a vulnerable state fosters connection in a way that nothing else can. This Thanksgiving I was especially thankful for my family.
 

p.s. here is a 1 minute audio clip of 200 Nigerians in chorus singing. I captured it at the funeral b/c of the deeply profound realization that everyone in the room was praising God for his goodness in Yoruba (Nigerian tribal languange) while also mourning the death of their friend/father/husband. A weighty moment indeed.

 

 

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

Joy