For many, the post-Thanksgiving letdown has to do with sleeping
off the tryptophan-induced post-turkey coma. The older I get, the more I learn
about another post-Thanksgiving letdown- the emptying of the house. For several days, our house brimmed with 7
people, creating a family house-party feel. People slept everywhere, including a sofa and an
air bed, and there was a sense of joy in our family crowded-noisiness.
And then they started filtering away, likely not to be
gathered all together at our house for another year.
Have I mentioned that I hate goodbyes? I really do. The word
“goodbye” can lie heavily like a pall, even when it is only anticipated and not
yet voiced. It is the boundary between togetherness and apartness, marking
change and loss. I have never been very good at goodbyes, and I don’t imagine
that I ever will be.
As Andy drove the final ones to the airport, I began to fill
the dishwasher and washing machine. Got out the vacuum cleaner and emptied all
of the trashcans. Went to a meeting at
church. Began to hear “we made it home safe and sound” messages. Heard one tale
of a very near miss on the highway that made me think of an Anne Lamott quote
that I had used during the morning’s sermon.
“Thanks is that
incredible feeling of gratitude, that you or your family cut a break . . .--it's
thankyouthankyouthankyou--that could have been SO much worse.” I said “thanks” a lot last night, for a wonderful Thanksgiving
holiday with a wonderful family, and for traveling mercies that keep my family
safe. I even practiced saying thanks for
goodbyes, even though I’m still not very good at it.
When the kids were safe and the house
had contracted back to the size that fits two comfortably, Andy and I sat in
our dual-reclining-electric-powered loveseat to watch a missed episode of a
favorite television show. As we
snuggled, we talked a lot about the fun of the holiday behind us and the joy of
future plans. And then he walked the dog while I folded some laundry, and the
blessedness of our everyday life settled back around us.
