I hope everyone had a great holiday yesterday - mine was filled with the three F's .... Family, football and food. Actually, FOOD should be in all caps because I believe there was enough to feed a small army by the time the 4 cooks in our kitchen were finished.
Before I go into all of that, I'd like to thank my "anonymous guest blogger" (AGB for those like me who have an affinity for acronyms) for stepping in last week - it's never a comfy thing to give someone full on access to anything that is yours, but AGB did me proud.
So, I spent the last week or so in sunny florida - unfortunately, it was not planned and was not for pleasure. My beloved grandaddy, John Fowler, passed away on Sunday after a long bout with a lung disease. He and I were very close so it has been a tough week for me. I don't say this for sympathy, I only say this because he was one of the most important people in my life so his passing has deeply affected me.
A silver lining this week is that my family took the opportunity to gather, reconnect and celebrate the one common link between us - my grandfather. I met cousins that I had never seen, finally got to know an Aunt that I only knew in name and had the chance to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with some of my favorite family members (oh, come on, everyone has 'favorites' when it comes to family ... its not just me !). We reminisced about funny memories like the time grandaddy put a horse in the back of his car (there was alcohol involved), and how he showed us the Chicken Dance during a party for my graduation (again, there was alcohol involved). His favorite drink was Tequila, so we had a shot in his honor and laughed at my Aunt flapping around like a bird because it burned on the way down. The weather was picture perfect and we even managed a spirited game of backyard football before we lost daylight. I'm sure my grandaddy was laughing at the spectacle we made.
I've had a lot of distraction this week with family coming and going and being in a different environment all week, but I'm home now and will have some time to reflect on everything that has transpired since I left on a last minute flight to Florida last Thursday.
Sorry for the somber post, but it would have been disingenuous for me to try to be witty and light. Enjoy the weekend and, wherever you are and whatever you're doing, take the time to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you - not just during the holidays, but every day. You never know when they'll be gone and you don't want to live with regrets for what you should've said.
Some sage advice from my grandaddy : you only get one go'round, so you might as well make it good.
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