This holiday, feeling blessed for what is, but also wanting more

I'm very grateful for the zillions of miracles that I have experienced over my life. But amid those miracles, I also wish that we as a nation were doing better at embracing all human beings.

I had one shot to get everyone together this holiday season. By everyone, I mean my spouse, our children, their significant others, and their children. Already by August as people started sharing plans for travels and trips and work, I realized this was going to be a challenge. Each of our three married kids lives in a different city, each an hour’s drive from us in totally different directions, and our youngest is in the army where she has zero control over her schedule. So finding that one time when everyone would be able to get together in one spot was nothing short of a miracle. One of many miracles in our family.

This is a privileged kvetch, for sure. I’m extremely lucky. I’m also supremely grateful for this kind of challenge of having a beautiful growing family, tfu tfu. I’m still in wondrous awe at how my family has expanded, watching my kids launch their adult lives, and mostly astounded at how well they have managed to build loving relationships.