that's what it's all about.....

Those were Scooter's words to me as we got in his car to go home last night. (This made me think of a line Kramer used on Seinfeld, when Kramer took Llyod Braun under his wing after Lloyd had spent time in a mental facility. "Now see, this is what the holidays are all about. Three buddies sitting around, chewing gum.") Nine friends, who haven't worked together in years, all came together to catch up with each other last night. And it was like we still see each other every day.....

Nine out of the ten were there. Little E, the only absent one, has been duly threatened with having her yard rolled if she misses the next get-together. Yeah, we range in age from 40 to mid-60's (not including E, who's just 29), but we could still roll a mean yard if we needed to do so. We talked about things that happened when we worked together. Stories from conventions that we attended seemed to create the most laughter, and they should have. Most of the stories have been told over and over, but they never seem to lose their punch. Of the ten, 3 of us are still in the financial industry; one has retired; one started his own business; one is a homemaker; one was recently downsized and is looking for a job; one is waiting for the right job; and the other is in advertising. We're all busy, taking care of jobs and families, so it's not always convenient to keep in touch. But after last night, it's obvious that we'd love to do this kind of thing more often.

Friends and family become center-stage for most of us at this time of year. But Scooter was right, that's what it's all about. Spending time with people you care about. Laughing and telling old stories. The older I get, the more I enjoy Thanksgiving. Christmas is still my favorite time of the year, and always will be, but Thanksgiving is much more intimate. There are no presents to worry about. The gift that we give at Thanksgiving is that of ourselves. We spend something more valuable than money; we spend our time, and we spend it with those we care about.

Sometimes we take this time for granted. I saw a man in the office a few minutes ago who lost his 16-year-old daughter this past summer, and I wondered how this holiday season would feel to him. What kind of void has he felt, and how would he deal with it over the next 6 weeks? It makes we want to go home and hold my three girls tight, and tell them they're loved, even though they hear it from me every day. Sounds like a good idea, I may just have to do that.....