Violin Forum/Message Board

[ctviolin]

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a large, very close family. Two daughters, a son, and seven grand kids...

And I will not cop to celebrating holidays for the holiday, I'm really not a Holiday person. But I will cop that we celebrate always, as a family, because, for some reason, our entire family gets along like no one else's family I know of. Thank God there is no infighting amongst us as a family... We all get along - How it happens - I still don't get other than my wife has always made sure that it is that way

I consider myself extremely lucky.

I decided long ago, not to have children of my own, because of the early diagnosis of polycystic kidney, and the curse of having to do dialysis from an early age.

But when I married this unbelievable girl, she automatically put me in as the active father, and I was accepted by the family as dad and now grand-dad.

So now grand dad is going to work - and The reason why I now love most holidays starts.

I hope that there are many people here who celebrate happliy with family.
For those who don't, I'm still wishing you the best.

See you all soon and;

Happy Thanksgiving.
_________________
Look,
Listen,
Learn.

[Mat Roop]

Well... Happy thanksgiving to all!..
In canada this well wish is belated as we already celebrated on the second weekend of October.... but then with our northern climes we harvest earlier. ... I think.
Yes CT... getting the family together really is wonderful... in fact we are well into preparations for Christmas and having the kids and grand kids come home and make music... kind of nice to remember the days of music lessons at home and I always marvelled at how quickly and easily the kids learned(as compared to me!).
Enjoy the holidays!
ps... CT... your concept of commercializing Thanksgiving with Black Friday has arrived in Canada! This is the first year that I've heard of Black friday sales in Canada.
Are you having a blackFriday violin sale??
Interestingly I heard that the term Black Friday started in Philadelphia way back in the late 1800's or early 1900's to describe the disasterous traffic jams in the streets following Thanksgiving day... I guess people ate too much & had to get out to wear it off??!!
Cheers Mat

[newo]

[kubasa]

Yes, Happy Thanksgiving! My family and I have a lot to be thankful for. It was a good day with relatives and now it is quiet, the kids are in bed and the snow is falling outside. I suppose I will be falling asleep shortly as I'm still completely stuffed from the wonderful dinner!

[ctviolin]

Ahh, it's good to know that some families celebrate such things as this. To whatever degree. Even if only to enable the family time together - which can be a great thing.

I will say that I come from a family (my original family) where such things as (family) holidays were mostly horrible social jokes, so I know that things can go both ways at holiday times, in the home.
and, I don't let people who do not celebrate such things - change my ideas about what they can mean for me NOW with my current family - on the other hand.

However, I firmly do understand how they can mean pretty much exactly the opposite of what they can mean to me today.

Anyway, I realize that It was very difficult for me to change my mind and reactions about holidays, and family events generally, another blessing I can attribute to my wife and her desire to create a working family even if she had to do it herself (which - she did...)

Life (anywhere, I suppose) can span any entire spectrum of actions and reactions as if they are (were?) "normal".

Christmas - ahh, here comes one holiday I still have some trouble with - the whole "Christian/Christmas" thing.
For me, it is a great holiday, as, I am, at heart, a Christian - but find I have to watch Christmas as it is quite a bit non-Christian at heart and practice - (odd huh?)
but, again, my family will all visit, and the mood will be one of great "feeling", one of joy and celebration, and is again (for me) a great venture into "Granddad-ism" territory, where I must try to impart a grounding and an attempt to keep things sort of real-life based... (ok, that's the spin I personally put on Christmas, I do try to break the hypnotic commercial spell a bit, and bring things down to family and basic religion - "oh God, here goes Granddad!")


Is life ever a simple thing?
_________________
Look,
Listen,
Learn.

[johngia]

And Happy Thanksgiving to all you guys. Just sitting down now from having my wife's and my empty nest joyfully invaded by two days of family staying with us. Tiring, but satisfied. It's the only part of the "Holidays" I enjoy.

Like you Craig, I have trouble with "Xmas". Merry Christmas Joseph --- Cold. Tired. Pregnant wife. No place to stay. Son's first breath smelled the aroma of an animal stall --- Merry Christmas --- I'm gonna go out and celebrate by engaging in an economic orgy called Black Friday. Happy Birthday.

Anyway --- hope to start Violin 21 and 22 soon. Studying the wood sitting on my drafting table. Been trying to get back to playing and recording. Hectic. I too have some medical distractions.

Talk more soon.

John

[ctviolin]

[johngia]

[ctviolin]

[newo]

Sorry, it always takes me a while to think of what to say when I hear this...

Had my daughter read your reply. She said thanks for your kind words, and yes, she does hope to get a transplant but has not been able to get on the list yet.

[Lemuel]

Yes, indeed. Happy thanksgiving to all.

I'm very thankful to have such friendly members on the forum...and the topic on families adds a nice touch to it. Thanks Craig for opening it up.