thanksgiving 07

*mush alert* – you have been warned!   

Last Thanksgiving, I was especially happy to be among friends and to spend the holiday with both sets was a happy moment. This time as I look back on the year, a particular group stands out. This year, I’d like to send a heartfelt thanks to all the men in my life. The ones who define me and then the rest of my favorites.

Daddy:
For being there always, for trusting me as an adult and yet still treating me as your special little daughter. You have been and always be an integral part of me, not just because of your genes, but everything else that you have taught me, consciously as a teacher and the lessons I’ve picked up watching you. Thank you for being my source of inspiration, to kick adversity in its shin and ducking the occasional curveball that seems to love us both. But as you have shown us both, we become strong with each experience. Finding and creating our own destiny, which may not be what we want right away, but amusingly in retrospect has always proved to be the right path for us. Thanks for everything and more.

Husband:
14 years and here we are, standing thick in the middle of life, beating the waves of responsibilities that hit us, staying afloat deriving strengths from each other without us realising it. Thank you for a lot more than I can pen down here. Especially for what you put up with everyday at home. With me. My desires, quirks, whims and fancies. For being there rock solid as I find my way around us, for giving me the freedom to explore and find myself, and ultimately, for being the saner one of the two. We’ve had our ups and downs, and Lord knows that perhaps there have been times when we’ve lost sight of each other completely. Thank you for knowing better.

Son:
My dear beautiful son. Since the day you landed hurriedly, thick in the middle of a snowstorm, I knew life would never be quiet and relaxed. Thanks for being the bratty rebel of the house, for being the caring older bro to the munchkin [one that I dreamed of and never had], for standing on the brink of youth and letting us cherish the young man that you are becoming. For challenging me every step of the day, for not succumbing to my shouts and frustrations, and honestly though I wouldn’t tell you this now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thank you for the occasional whine you still subject us to, makes me smile that you aren’t all grown up yet after all. Thanks for letting me hug you occasionally though you stand 2 feet away. Thank you for discovering your strengths and knowing what it is that you exactly want and what you couldn’t care for. For not allowing me to bully you into things that in my parental view is rewarding while you actually sit me down and explain why it doesnt appeal to you.
Happy birthday dear son. You are a grand eleven years old today – well tomorrow! 🙂

My other favorites, the ones who read me and interact with me almost every day:

A big Thank you –
– To the ones who humor me on a bad day
– To the ones who keeps me updated on the movie scene
– To the ones who constantly flood me with music of different genres
– To the ones who challenge me intellectually
– To the one who loves to fight with me, just so you get a perverse pleasure out of seeing me rant and make tons of typos.
– To the one who is always there to listen as I vent
– To the one who satisfies the telugu gene in me
– To the ones who trust my advice [if you can call it that] and act on it! If there is a God, I have asked him to look out for you.
– To the ones who flatter me when I behave stupid 🙂
– To the ones who treat me as a good friend despite the physical distances, and especially despite the years!
– To the ones who do NOT treat me like an ‘aunty’ – THANK YOU once again! 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving y’all. Enjoy your weekend with family and friends. For many, there isn’t a difference between the two considering we live far away from the ones we are bonded by our genes, but then, aren’t our friends a family we actually want to love? 🙂