Thanksgiving

Today, on Thanksgiving Day, someone dear to me and Charles lost her battle against cancer.  While we grieve her passing, we are also reminded that life is a constant celebration--of a journey that each of us is given the opportunity to embark on.

So today, and always, I am most thankful for the gift of life and everything that comes with it--the joys and pains, the gains and losses, the triumphs and tribulations and all that it offers.

Thank you, God!  Thank you, Universe!  Thank you!

I belong...

...to a family bound by love, admiration, respect and longing for one another that no matter how far away we are, we always look for opportunities to meet up.

...to a husband whose devotion and dedication to his family often has me wondering, "I must have done something so right to deserve someone so good".  I hope he stays that way forever.

...to a son who loves being with me, sometimes clinging to me, even if I am not there with him every day and even if I am not there with him for days when I travel for work, which I do very often. 

...to a small group of friends who genuinely care about each other--and me. 

...to a few aunts, uncles and cousins (keyword is "few"), who I consider my extended family.  Unlike some of my relatives, they do check on me once in a while and they reach out to me to ask how I'm doing--not when they need something from me, like money or a favor. 

...to a handful of in-laws who have been nothing but nice, supportive and accepting of me as a member of their family, even if I was a stranger to them when I married their brother.  I am so lucky and I couldn't ask for better in-laws.

...to a small team of hardworking, dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to make me and the team look good.  My group of colleagues is the reason I love going to work every day--not the work I do, not what I get from it.  They are critical to my success in this so-called 'corporate world'.

And finally, I belong to the Man up there, He who is constantly providing and blessing me with all these goodness, including the small group of people who I belong to and who belong to me.  And to Him, I am forever grateful!

My husband often tells me "we don't have a lot of friends here", not that it bothers him, but I think he has a lot back home.  And each time I'd simply reply, "I think we have what we need".  Afterall, less is more.  The fewer the better.  And the fewer we have, the more quality time we get to spend with them.

***

Photo:  My family (minus my parents) during our most recent family vacation.

Day Alone with Lucas

The nanny is off for the weekend.  The hubby is out on a business trip.  And I have a day and night alone with Lucas. 

I am the one who travels more often.  The hub is around almost all the time.  On weekends, we often have people around, so quiet weekends are very rare for us these days (not that I prefer them over fun and crazy days, but I could use one of those sometimes).

I was actually very excited to spend the day alone with my son.  I had everything planned.  I was going to wake up early and take him for a walk, then go to church together.  Then I'll spend half the day just playing with him, and then take him to a baby shower later that day.

But alas--I woke up very early Sunday morning and the rain was pouring non-stop.  He woke up early too--an hour earlier than he used to (due to the time change).  So we had plenty of time to just hang out and play until it was time to go to church.  The rain was still pouring hard, but I managed to transport him to and from church without any of us getting wet.  I had him in one arm (and he's getting really heavy) and a humongous umbrella on the other.

He was very well-behaved at church.  In fact, more behaved than he usually is. He sat still, didn't try to walk around, didn't scream, and enjoyed every bit of attention he got from the families around us who were trying to gesture and make faces at him to make him smile.  Halfway through the mass, he fell asleep (he always does).  I just lay him down on the pew using my coat for some cushion.

After mass, we headed to pick up some food and cake for my friend's baby shower.  He still was very well-behaved.  I would have panicked otherwise.  It was only until we got to the party when he started crying and clinging to mom.  He doesn't like it when people are too loud.  He wouldn't let me take pictures.  He napped for a little bit so I was able to take some.

We left the party late so we decided to pick her nanny up from the terminal before heading home.  While waiting for the train to arrive, we stopped by and chilled out at Starbucks (I did not want to wait at the terminal).  It's been a while since I had done this--sit and sip coffee at a coffeeshop at night, with someone.  And now I was there--with my son.  It was like our little date. I was talking to him like he was an adult (I always do) and he would talk back. He likes imitating what I say.  We had our little conversation and I had so much fun!  We were giggling together and I can tell how amused people around us were.

I don't always get to do this--spend an entire day alone with him.  I also don't wish for this everyday.  But I do wish for this once in a while--not only now, but later, and much later--when I'm old and gray and we'd have a lifetime of memories and learnings to talk and giggle about.

Our Giants

He was literally at the edge of his seat, his eyes glued on the TV screen, at times getting bored that nothing much was happening in the beginning.  But at the seventh inning, when mommy started clapping and screaming and cheering to her heart's content, he also lit up, started clapping and cheering along with mom--as if he really understood what was going on.

I know Lucas didn't understand exactly what he was watching, but he knows it was something fun and exciting.  He now thinks baseball is Giants.  I know that because every time I turn the TV on and he sees baseball, he would say "Jaynts! Jaynts!" (Giants! Giants!)--even if the Giants weren't playing.  I love it that he shares our excitement about the team and about sports.  I wish that when he grows up, he will be actively involved in sports--either as a fan or a player (the latter would be better).  I want him to be active and be part of a team.

As for the Giants, I am so proud of this team, not only because they represent San Francisco but also because I used to watch them play live.  I work only a few blocks away from the stadium and I used to go there with some co-workers--sometimes as a company-sponsored event.  We cut down on those in the past few years following the economic turmoil, but I sure hope we can go to the games again in the near future.  Or better yet, maybe go there with family and friends in the next few seasons.

This is what I like most about sports.  It certainly brings people together.  It divides a few, but unites a whole lot!  Thank you, Giants for playing so amazingly well this season!

Baseball season is over and the NBA has just started.  I am rooting for the Golden State Warriors!  Now, I gotta find Lucas a set of jerseys...