If I were a more prudent and forward-thinking person, I would have had a diary all ready to go in the queue. Alas, I am neither of those things on a regular basis, and so here we are tonight with an open thread.
Tell us, how did you make it through this holiday? For those of us for whom it was "Thanksgivukkah," was it extra fun? Or extra pressure? Where did you go, what did you eat, with whom did you celebrate?
I'll start.
My daughters, husband, and I went to my brother's for his traditional extended family gathering. There were thirteen of us: our mother; my sister and two of her sons with their significant others; my brother, his wife and their daughter; the four of us. The meal was pretty darn conventional, the only variants being cucumber salad and Hungarian green beans. My sister made cream puffs which turned out very well. Considering the lingering tension between my brother and me, it was a pleasant enough evening.
The next day, I ventured out with my older daughter and my sister's offspring to visit old family residences throughout the metro Detroit area, including my former neighborhood in the city (which still looks pretty darn good). It was a fun day but exhausting.
Saturday my husband and I played host to his middle son and his fiancee for our own version of the traditional meal (in part so we would have leftovers). That was also a good visit, and also tiring, as you might imagine.
Then yesterday I had to get the very last bit of yard work done for the final compost pickup of the year. Crazy, but I had to do it. And since then, I have been DONE. The most I've done today is play with the kitten! And read a Donna Leon book.
But it was a successful weekend all the same, one of the best we've had in the past few years.
So how about yours?
Monday Night Cancer Club is a Daily Kos group focused on dealing with cancer, primarily for cancer survivors and caregivers, though clinicians, researchers, and others with a special interest are also welcome. Volunteer diarists post Monday evenings between 7-8 PM ET on topics related to living with cancer, which is very broadly defined to include physical, spiritual, emotional and cognitive aspects. Mindful of the controversies endemic to cancer prevention and treatment, we ask that both diarists and commenters keep an open mind regarding strategies for surviving cancer, whether based in traditional, Eastern, Western, allopathic or other medical practices. This is a club no one wants to join, in truth, and compassion will help us make it through the challenge together.