But you know, I haven't had enough of family. Last Saturday, Mom (aka Ma!) hosted a family gathering at her place. It was so well attended I didn't put enough of the seasoned chicken on the bbq and we ran out. It was so well enjoyed that no one noticed when the rum punch ran out. It was so loving that squeezing on the couch for the portraits of all the first cousins (ladies only) and the second cousins (boys and girls and teens) was considered a fun activity for a few minutes at a time.
I love that Mom has a home to host all her family. Everyone came and we overflowed from her beautiful backyard with the pond and the fishes, to the newly painted front porch with manicured lawn, to the living room with the comfy chairs and the hot kitchen filled with food. I only mention the manicured lawn as it was my hands that cured it. Beyond the catching up with cousins I haven't seen in months or years, eating food prepared by many hands and watching the newest additions to the family run around the yard, I was most enamoured of the preparation. That I could and did help my Mom with some of the preparation was more than I can be thankful for. I don't have a big house with a yard, I have and enjoy my small one-bedroom apartment, so it was my pleasure to cut the grass and then get down on hands and knees to trim the rough edges with a giant pair of lawn scissors. I appreciated working in the warm sunshine mostly because it is not my every day grind but also because I did it in anticipation of the quality family time I would enjoy later.
I took a moment while trimming the grass in my quiet solitude to ponder my reality and that of my family. I am thankful that Ma has a home to share with loved friends and family. I am thankful for my Ma and that I have her. I am thankful that whereever I go, whatever I do and whomever I'll eventually be, she and my family will always be there for me. I am thankful that I in turn will be there for them.
Before then, on the Sunday before last Saturday, Chantelle and I attended my Dad's family reunion in New Jersey overlooking the bay and Lady Liberty. Again, I was re-introduced to many cousins that I hardly remember ever meeting, met new-to-me second cousins and reconnected with cousins I knew. We gathered in the park because Grandma was there visiting from Trinidad. Before Chan and I left, there was a massive group picture. I tried real hard to be seen but I'm so damn short, I'm not sure my head is in the family portrait!! Oh well, at least I know and Chan knows I was there for real. It was a great family picnic and I'm often pleasantly surprised at how much family I have that I don't really know. There's probably a story here about how I should get to know my peeps! Sounds like a segment on Stephen Colbert's show that would probably be aptly named, "Better know a second cousin!" (Fashioned after this election themed segment, Better know a district!)
The family gathering on the Sunday before the Saturday family gathering was also an opportunity to say goodbye to my Dad (aka Pops!) as he's moving back to T&T. At least, he'll be closer to my brother who lives there. I just need to acknowledge that Pops is following his dreams to retire in the sun because the concept will be raised in a later blog.
The rest of the weekend that followed since the whirlwind of family gatherings is a similar blur but I do remember going to party with the ladies and a couple of gents at Home niteclub in the downtown Toronto club district. I recently heard on the radio that the club district has dwindled in the last few years. Used to be 300 clubs in the district, now its under 30. I shrug my shoulders. At least there are still some places for me to party. Sunday morning was hard but I woke up and walked to Harbourfront Centre for the Hot and Spicy festival. Note to self: I don't do spicy; but it was nice to join Joanne (more family) for the walkabout and sampling of spicy foods. It sure was hot cause there were some cute guys there too! (aka Hotties!). Even the flash rainstorm did nothing to cool the heat of that food fest. My tongue still feels like it is partially burned from sampling some of the finest pepper jellies, sauces and spices this side of the Serengeti.
I feel as if I continue living amazing experiences, or said differently, experiencing amazing living and I am blessed. The song that played in the club that Saturday night sums up my feelings for the past two weeks and that's why I feel the need to share.
"I am blessed, I am blessed, everyday of my life I am blessed.
When I wake up in the morning and I lay my head to rest,
Everyday of my life I am blessed." - Mr. Vegas, 2009
So I say to you, you are blessed. Be thankful, be grateful, be everpresent in your life. One day may come when you can really appreciate all that you are and all that you have but if you're not there just yet, simply be gracious for life and the chance to live. Today, be grateful for the friends and family you have around you. I am. Amen.
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