Earl and I just returned from our annual trek to Denver, Colorado, to visit my aunt and uncle and their grown children. And their children’s children. We’ve gone there for Thanksgiving for the past several years . . . I’ve lost count. And for some of those years my own son, Kevin, has joined the festivities. So it’s something of a family reunion from my perspective.
We had a wonderful time, even though all of us are aging and less capable than in years past. But that’s only on the physical level. On the mental level and even more on the humor level, we are still completely intact.
The time we spent in Denver was punctuated with intellectual discussion and ribald humor. It always is. It was punctuated with dialogue between the conservatives and the liberals among us. It always is. It was also punctuated with simply silly commentary (read The Onion here.) where both sides of the political spectrum issued loud guffaws in agreement. And maybe that was the best part.
I believe my family survives political, economic, and social dissent because we laugh not only at the current political situation but also at ourselves. We disagree and poke fun of another’s political point of view. We give and take. And in the end, especially at Thanksgiving, we appreciate coming together to recognize we are a family with a common history but also with disparate ideas. For that, I am thankful.
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