Although this week started on a crazy low with my mother's emergency trip to the hospital and subsequent cardiac cath, it winds down with some positive family energy. When I use the term "family," I don't just mean my immediate mother, father, siblings; when I say "family," like most eastern Kentuckians, I include first, second, and third cousins, aunts, uncles, and a few friends and neighbors. My family views every holiday as an opportunity to catch up on the latest happenings and to revisit some favorite memories.
The Thanksgiving holiday always brings laughter and joy with all the family members who come together. This year proved somewhat different not only because Mother was in the hospital until late Wednesday afternoon, but also because everyone who came to dinner could fit comfortably around the table during one sitting. If you knew my family, you would know immediately how different that scenario is for my family. Most years, in addition to expanding the dining room table with two leaves, we have to set up at least one folding table in the living room and exile some family to the wrought iron table on the front porch. Having thirty people talking, laughing, and eating at one time is the norm for us, so our meager numbers around the dinner table initially gave us pause to think about where everyone had gone this year - some had new babies, others had obligations to in-laws, some had moved or were in the process of moving.
But the pause didn't last long as the phone soon began to ring even during dinner. Everyone who usually came to the house found their way through the phone lines. And before we could even clear the table, people began to drift home, knocking on the door for either their second (or even third) dinner plate of the day or just to share dessert and coffee. At one point, our small crew of nine had expanded to a gaggle of twentysome. Within a few hours, our simple, delicious feast transformed into a laughter-filled gathering that eventually progressed into a rousing game of Phase 10 that kept us entertained until the early morning hours. Even though the quantity of family around the physical dinner table for our actual Thanksgiving meal had fallen off this year, I will remember the love and laughter of this week as fondly as any other holiday.
These people I call "my family" are a loud, proud, stubborn, loving bunch of mountain people. I am who I am today because of these people (and some may even say in spite of these people). In starting this blog and choosing the name, I had my family and friends in mind when I thought of my favorite quote from Jack Kerouac: "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everyone goes, 'Awww!'" This quote expresses my personal ideas on friendship and camaraderie; I think it speaks to me even more so, because I see myself as one of those mad people...especially as someone who always is "mad to talk."
