Happy Thanksgiving

Today The United States celebrates a day of thanks to all the people who helped them stay alive when they first came over here for other lands.  It has changed since then, just lightly.

Thanksgiving now means thanks for all the good things that we have in live such as family and friends.
I am thankful for all my firends that I have made over the years on the internet.  My life has gone through some changes in stages and whatnot.  As I get older the changes come and the stages of life change lots of things that I was used too.
Dring the years prior to this year I ahve had to embrace the empty nest and the moving on of my children into their own lives.  That was hard enough to get through and to accept, but it is life and I did the same thing when I was growing up with my parents.  
Now that my dad passed away 2 years ago, we do not have Thanksgiving with my parent's anymore and my sister has only invited us to her house only once or twice in all the years since we were children.  My daughters are doing their own things.
Last year we went to the Thanksgiving Dinner they have at my husband's church for those of us who have no place to go.  It was nice and we met a very nice couple that had just moved into the area.
That is where we are going today as well.  It sure is different, but it is what it is.
I hope that every one of you, no matter what stage in life that you are, have a belly full of great food, some family and friends to share it with and some fun today.  
Be thankful of where you are in life right now.  Be thankful you are still here to experience it all.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Most of my life, I've lived in collective households that are sort of an intentional family made up of friends, and we'd celebrate all holidays by cooking ourselves a really great meal and inviting friends who didn't have anywhere else to go. I moved out of such a household in 2010, for health reasons and moved into a one-room apartment, but until the beginning of 2014, I went back to the household I'd left for all holidays, as well visit quite frequently to socialize. At that time, the household broke up due to the death of one member and a big falling-out among the others. None of these people now live very close to me, so I only visit them occasionally, and I've found a better way to celebrate holidays right here in my own neighborhood. I help with the advance cooking and serving of a holiday meal for the homeless, and eat before or afterwords with the rest of the staff. I did this yesterday, and will also be doing it later today.

And doing this on Thanksgiving makes me feel especially thankful that I'm able to be among the staff instead of the guests. I'll do the same at Christmas ... but for some reason I don't celebrate New Years at all: I just stay home and watch the world-wide celebrations on TV.

I'm not a New Years person at all. I don't make any commitments cause I notice I do not keep them.

but I celebrated with my daughter yesterday, it was nice.

and I love Christmas. must be the look on the kids faces. my daughter this year is giving to the homeless people. her hubby and her are going with the kids to give people who are less fortunate presents. and food too to teach their children that they have more than enough

Hahaha!  What we do on the New Years....take a nap and wake up just before the ball drops and watch it on TV, then say Happy New Year to each other and go back to bed.  I don'
t make any resolutions either.

My husband usually works at some time during Christmas.  We used to go to his families house or to my daughters, but haven't in two years since his parent's are gone and my father passes away two years ago.  My two daughters....well they don't really pay attention to me anymore.  I caught my younges (34) in a huge lie that she has been spreading about me and I called her on it and she hasn't talked to me since.  My oldest (36).....well I don't know why she has been ignoring me.  I hgave 2 grandsons and never get to see them....only on her facebook page.  Last year we ended up just mailing the presents to them.  I just hope that her sons don't treat her the same when they grow up....but you know.............

I Hate the Holidays and Winter!!

We, hubby and I, are the youngest in our family. Outside of a few cousins everybody on my side have transitioned. Hubby has a brother and sister left and one uncle.
Being the youngest in a family may mean your the last to transition.

We went to a casino buffet thanksgiving,

That sounded like lots of fun and people.  My husband is the youngest, but I am the oldest.  

I sure am glad that they, people, realize there is the other side when the kids all grow up and go away and then paren't die off and .....oh boy....never thought about this side either.

It funny kind of though...all the time you are raisng your kids you look forward to a time when you can do what you want....and then you get there and it is not what you expected at all.

Lady Guinevere wrote:

Hahaha!  What we do on the New Years....take a nap and wake up just before the ball drops and watch it on TV, then say Happy New Year to each other and go back to bed.  I don'
t make any resolutions either.

My husband usually works at some time during Christmas.  We used to go to his families house or to my daughters, but haven't in two years since his parent's are gone and my father passes away two years ago.  My two daughters....well they don't really pay attention to me anymore.  I caught my younges (34) in a huge lie that she has been spreading about me and I called her on it and she hasn't talked to me since.  My oldest (36).....well I don't know why she has been ignoring me.  I hgave 2 grandsons and never get to see them....only on her facebook page.  Last year we ended up just mailing the presents to them.  I just hope that her sons don't treat her the same when they grow up....but you know.............

I Hate the Holidays and Winter!!

Ouch! You have it really tough when it comes to family relationships and everything connected to them, such as celebrating holidays. I had very few blood relatives and they all passed over many years ago, but I have intentional family relatives galore, of all ages, and the relationships are quite mixed. I try to "accentuate the positive" and minimize the negative, and on the whole, am satisfied with the status quo. I always get lots of invitations to parties or meals on all the major holidays, but these days usually decline my health isn't good enough for me to really enjoy such things. And this year will be the second Christmas that I won't feel the need to give any presents at all, nor expect to receive any.

This is only the second year that this has been going on, so next year, if I don't get anything more than I am just going t have to cut ties with both of them.  Not so hard with the youngest as she has blocked me from her life period.  My father passed away two years ago and I miss him so much.  When I heard the news I called my daughter because her sister turns her phone off at a certain hour and I got yelled at.  She said that she had to get up at 5 in the morning and other people do too......uummm my husband has to get up at 4 am.  That should not have mattered at all.  I still have her Christmas gifts from 2 years ago too.  
I also cannot do much traveling because of my health and to get them to visit here is like pulling teeth and I hate to beg like that.

Lady Guinevere wrote:

This is only the second year that this has been going on, so next year, if I don't get anything more than I am just going t have to cut ties with both of them.  Not so hard with the youngest as she has blocked me from her life period.  My father passed away two years ago and I miss him so much.  When I heard the news I called my daughter because her sister turns her phone off at a certain hour and I got yelled at.  She said that she had to get up at 5 in the morning and other people do too......uummm my husband has to get up at 4 am.  That should not have mattered at all.  I still have her Christmas gifts from 2 years ago too.  
I also cannot do much traveling because of my health and to get them to visit here is like pulling teeth and I hate to beg like that.

Reading this makes me glad I never had kids, as do some of the urchins my friends have.  Perhaps your relationship with them will get better.
Being ranchers, we automatically get up at 4am.

....and you may not believe this but her name is Angela....saved by the Angels when she was born.  She was a very tough pregnancy at that.  I almost lost her and my life before she was born.  My oldesnt name is Missy (Melissa Dawn and she went by Dawn for a number of years).

Lady Guinevere wrote:

....and you may not believe this but her name is Angela....saved by the Angels when she was born.  She was a very tough pregnancy at that.  I almost lost her and my life before she was born.  My oldesnt name is Missy (Melissa Dawn and she went by Dawn for a number of years).

When my mother heard one of her Christian friends say something like that back in the fifties, she'd answer with, "There are lots of different kinds of angels. Some reach you by coming up, and others by coming down." She was a Spiritualist and was actually talking about good and bad influences from the Other Side, but the Christians thought she was talking about angels sent by God and angels sent by Satan.

Realityrebel wrote:

Lady Guinevere wrote:

....and you may not believe this but her name is Angela....saved by the Angels when she was born.  She was a very tough pregnancy at that.  I almost lost her and my life before she was born.  My oldesnt name is Missy (Melissa Dawn and she went by Dawn for a number of years).

When my mother heard one of her Christian friends say something like that back in the fifties, she'd answer with, "There are lots of different kinds of angels. Some reach you by coming up, and others by coming down." She was a Spiritualist and was actually talking about good and bad influences from the Other Side, but the Christians thought she was talking about angels sent by God and angels sent by Satan.

Well when we lived in Florida, I think that she got poseesed as I saw a being enter her room and she changed that day.  Now I do not beleive in the stories of the Christian Satan, but I do know there are things out there that do harm us, but there is always another side of that.  Angela was very promicuous fro then on and everything was/is my fault.  She twists things around and tells lies about others.  She beleives guys that tell her not to listen to her mother.  Oh it goes so much deeper than that.  I was asked by some of her friends and her sister to talk to her about her "live-in" maile firends.  It isn't so bad but she barely knows them.  Having a man come and live with your, to help pay the bills, after only seeing them for 3 months is dangerous at best.  
Mind you that she is 34 and not 14 but she acts 14........She went off and tld me that I think that she is a slut.  I aksed her why would she ever think that.......I can just bet you a million dollars she told everyone that I think she is a slut.......  I don't think that she is and I never said that to her.  She has some mental Self-Esteem problems that I cannot fix.  I just wish that she would stop telling lies about me....oh and it doesn't stop there becasue I know what she has said about otheres that they don't know....

Perhaps it would be better to not seek communication with her. Instead just picture her surrounded by pure loving energy that will give her understanding, and send her love every day.
See only the good in her, picture that good as growing until nothing but good is within her.

Skytiger wrote:

Perhaps it would be better to not seek communication with her. Instead just picture her surrounded by pure loving energy that will give her understanding, and send her love every day.
See only the good in her, picture that good as growing until nothing but good is within her.

I did that for years and years.  All she wants is what she wants and nothing else.  She has put herself in between others and myself for years and yet she does not even think that others and myself can see what it is that she is doing.  She is going to lie to someone one day and it will come to bite her in a big way.....but then again it will be all my fault and nothing that she hsas done.  She has a lesson to learn and the only one that can teach her is herself.  She needs to stop the lying...simple as that and learn to accept herself for who she is not what men can give her.  She needs lots of self-esteem and the only one that can give it to her is herself.  I haven't talk to her for years.  She blocked me from her facebook and her phone.  My husband called her on her birthday and left a message 2 years ago.
She is not just hurting herself.....but others as well...that has to stop and that will not stop with loving thoughts.

Lady Guinevere wrote:

Skytiger wrote:

Perhaps it would be better to not seek communication with her. Instead just picture her surrounded by pure loving energy that will give her understanding, and send her love every day.
See only the good in her, picture that good as growing until nothing but good is within her.

I did that for years and years.  All she wants is what she wants and nothing else.  She has put herself in between others and myself for years and yet she does not even think that others and myself can see what it is that she is doing.  She is going to lie to someone one day and it will come to bite her in a big way.....but then again it will be all my fault and nothing that she hsas done.  She has a lesson to learn and the only one that can teach her is herself.  She needs to stop the lying...simple as that and learn to accept herself for who she is not what men can give her.  She needs lots of self-esteem and the only one that can give it to her is herself.  I haven't talk to her for years.  She blocked me from her facebook and her phone.  My husband called her on her birthday and left a message 2 years ago.
She is not just hurting herself.....but others as well...that has to stop and that will not stop with loving thoughts.

It looks to me like you're handling this problem as well as I've ever heard of anyone doing ... but it's still obviously very painful for you and many of your other relatives.

Realityrebel wrote:

Lady Guinevere wrote:

Skytiger wrote:

Perhaps it would be better to not seek communication with her. Instead just picture her surrounded by pure loving energy that will give her understanding, and send her love every day.
See only the good in her, picture that good as growing until nothing but good is within her.

I did that for years and years.  All she wants is what she wants and nothing else.  She has put herself in between others and myself for years and yet she does not even think that others and myself can see what it is that she is doing.  She is going to lie to someone one day and it will come to bite her in a big way.....but then again it will be all my fault and nothing that she hsas done.  She has a lesson to learn and the only one that can teach her is herself.  She needs to stop the lying...simple as that and learn to accept herself for who she is not what men can give her.  She needs lots of self-esteem and the only one that can give it to her is herself.  I haven't talk to her for years.  She blocked me from her facebook and her phone.  My husband called her on her birthday and left a message 2 years ago.
She is not just hurting herself.....but others as well...that has to stop and that will not stop with loving thoughts.

It looks to me like you're handling this problem as well as I've ever heard of anyone doing ... but it's still obviously
very painful for you and many of your other relatives.

I also support you Lady G in your healing efforts as i am going throug a similar experience. Severity/Kindness equilibrium and most of all good hearted humor ! may be determining factors

RR I just got an email this morning from my oldest, Missy.  Boy was there a lot of BS in that letter.  She told me to go talk and ask about things from Mom and Angie.  She told me that I said some really hurtful things and that she doesn't have the time to contact anyone because she has lots to do at work and has two houses to take care of.  Mind you she has a live-in sitter.  I pointed out to her that *I* raised two daughters, we were building our own house and blah blah blah.  She told me that she didn'tw ant to get in the middle of it.  She wants to meet up on teh 13th and she said that she was also spending the weekend at my moms.  I mentioned to her that last time I talked to Mom she was staying at my sister's.  I don't see why we could not all meet at my mothers that weekend.  Again I am the liar in all of this!  My mom yells at me all the time and I don't even have to say anything.  I stopped calling her becasue she always has to go to the bathroom when I call her.  I am damned if I do and damened if I don't.  I also told Missy that she doesn't know the half of what goes on with my mom and I...not even a snibble and if I told her she would not believe me....Angie tried to tell her and she sisn't believer her either.