Sunday, November 27, 2011

Family news

Yesterday I had my dose of family time.

First I called my mother to wish her a happy Thanksgiving. In years past my mother would call once week and we would talk for an hour on the phone (and the phone rates were high in those days!!) But these days she no longer calls and I know the conversations I'll have with her will go around in a circle without much news. On my side of the world, no children to talk about so I don't have much to tell her either. I know if I bring up the topic of cats that she will be horrified that I have so many (AGAIN! Maybe two or three times during the phone call) and I know that she will ask a number of times when I am coming again and then will be disappointed when I tell her I won't visit until summer. She misses me. We had a nice 10 minute chat and signed off with her telling me that she would go directly and tell my brother and Marcy that I had called.

A few minutes later I decided to go ahead and call my brother and Marcy myself and wish them a happy Thanksgiving too. Grandma (my mother) was over there already enjoying a turkey sandwich ( she only lives on the other side of the walkway) but Marcy said she hadn't mentioned talking to me. Well, that was what she went over there for! Such is the forgetfulness of old age, but my mother still can walk across the walkway and still enjoy a turkey sandwich!

A bit longer of a chat with Marcy asking her to do a couple of favors for me, commiserating with her about the lack of news from either of my children. Though Takumi only lives an hour away, he doesn't come by much. I tried to beg off her sending Christmas presents to Japan this year ... it costs way too much and there is nothing we really need nor want. I too find it hard to buy presents for Kiana (16) and Colin (13). We talked about 20 minutes. Kiana is driving now... My brother works too hard... Normal family news.

After hanging up with Marcy I found Leiya on the computer. She was at a friend's house for Thanksgiving weekend but Marcy had just called and suggested she fly out to California for Christmas. That would be nice Christmas present for our whole family. Leiya with her grandma and uncle's family, and maybe Takumi would even turn up.

And after chatting with Leiya my doorbell rang and our good friend Toshi Suga was standing at the front door with home made pumpkin pie in hand wishing me a happy Thanksgiving! (The Suga family was featured in those Thanksgiving pictures from a couple of days ago.) After reading about my lonely Thanksgiving, they took pity on me and brought me pumpkin pie and sweet sake for my cold.

All in all I felt very loved and cared for yesterday. And that's what Thanksgiving is all about!

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