I Am Thankful

When the alarm rang this morning, I blearily made my way out to the living room to greet my dog as per my usual routine. Along the way I almost tripped over two pairs of sneakers and a blanket lying on the floor. I smiled affectionately at the mess as I fluffed the pillows on the sofa and glanced into the kitchen to find a stack of dishes in the sink. As much as I hate a messy house… no, that isn’t strong enough… I HATE a messy house, I happily overlooked it this morning because the minor debris is only an indication that my boys are home from college and our entire family is together at home for Thanksgiving.

It’s funny how subtle changes over the course of a year or so create bigger changes you don’t notice until you have occasion to gather as a family.  It used to be that every Thanksgiving was a major ordeal. A fun one, but still a ton of work. In the past, we’ve hosted thirty plus people or cocktail parties before settling down to dinner with extended family. This is the first year it will be just the five of us (& my sister). A year ago that might have depressed me. I’m used to feeding big groups and I love the holidays! This year, I’m more than content. I’m grateful.  And thankful.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love entertaining but this seems like a perfect occasion to regroup and connect with our core group. Last night our older son turned on old Madonna videos then followed it up with Kylie Minogue and Grimes. It was his version of a gay dance club…living room style. We laughed hysterically when he busted out his dance moves. He was in his element and frankly, I was in mine. More so when his brother showed up later. The sounds of their voices from the next room made me happy. And when my nineteen year old asked me to wake him up in time to watch some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade like he did when he was a kid… yeah, I was over the moon.
It’s the little things…shoes left lying about, someone playing guitar upstairs and sound of laughter. They serve as reminders of simple daily life. When they aren’t there, you miss them. You build a new routine and it’s a good one.  But it isn’t the same. I’m grateful for a taste of the old one. I’m thankful beyond measure for my amazing family and our beautiful old Lab (who is one week away from turning 14 years old, btw! 🙂 ) and I’m looking forward to spending the day with them.
I’m also grateful to my readers! Thank you for making this such a fantastic year. This has been the year of my Right & Wrong WeHo boys and one more Better Than. I’m so glad you’ve embraced these stories and I can’t wait to introduce you to the next group of guys in NYC! Pre-Orders for my new release, A Kind Of Truth, are tentatively set for December 8! And the release date is January 8. Woohoo! More details to come…

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Lane xo