First Saturday

Years ago, my family began a tradition of getting together every First Saturday of the month. It was awesome...it was a time when we all really began to enjoy each other as adults. And, as the nieces and nephews came along, it became 'the more the merrier.' My parents' house was where we met - everyone knew where it was, and how to get there. The little ones felt comfortable there. Mom would fix her special egg casserole, and the rest of us would bring "something." It was always a feast, always loud, and I'm pretty sure my mom grew to dreat the occasion, but she and dad loved nothing more than having their family together. It is still a tradition now, and my older brother Paul and his wife, Becky, tend to be the hosts since mom has died and my dad is in an apartment.

Before First Saturday began, we would all gather "impromptu" at my parents' house on Friday afternoons. That proved to be a difficult time for all of us to get together, so we switched it to Thursday. We called it "Friday Afternoon Thursday" - or FAT, for short. FAT was very popular, and sometimes very wild. Whoever could come would show up bearing some sort of appetizer. My dad would provide the rot-gut, if Julie didn't come bearing Stoly. We were a wild brood, but we had fun and we laughed and we cried and we laughed some more. And we all left happy - happy to have family we could enjoy one evening a week with. How many people can say that? I loved FAT. I don't remember when it stopped...maybe when there were grandkids and Saturdays seemed easier to get together without bedtimes and deadlines and having to get up the next morning for work. So, FAT became First Saturday.

Today, I realized, is the first Saturday of 2010. I wonder if my family in Denver got together? Something tells me, "NO!" They've been together at least three nights since Christmas Eve. Who want to see those people again so soon?! But I thought about them, and wished I could be there - even if they weren't.

It's a new year. I want it to be a better year. Better how? Good question. I'm not going to make resolutions; I'm going to make thoughtful reminders. I'm not going to make a "To Do" list. I'm just going to make a new list every day and limit it to five things that need doing. Things will get done. Some things will stay on the list for a week or two. Some things will change. Hopefully, some things will get easier - like missing my family on First Saturday.

Right now, I'm just going to hold them all in my heart and remind myself that "they are mine, and that's why I miss them so much"...even when events have me wondering, "WHY is it again that I miss them so much?" Oh, that's right, because they're mine.

Happy New Year to my family and friends. May 2010 be a year filled with happy times...and maybe a few happy surprises.