I live in a cute small town where my family’s presence is big – there are just a lot of us here! My grandma and grandpa had seven children, and amazingly, all seven of those incredible kids live within one mile from each other, and nearly all on the same street. Yes, my aunts, uncles and cousins are my neighbors, and our Matriarch Grandma lives in the epicenter of us all. You’d think that we would see each other all of the time living this close, but most of our time together is actually spent in passing – little moments here and there – at church, driving down the road, waving “hi” on a walk. While we’d take seeing each other for micro moments over nothing, every family needs a solid macro moment together, like Thanksgiving.
We were all so thrilled when plans were made to spend the day together this year. We Turkey Bowl’d at the park, split up to cook our contributions to the feast, circled back up, ate a stunning and delicious meal, and then we soaked up the sunset as the party lingered longer. My Aunt Megan and Uncle Bart hosted us all for Thanksgiving Dinner, and we could not be more thankful to them for that! We created crowded tables in their yard, and I know that my angel Grandpa was there, too. It was too happy of a day for him not to be…our whole family was so happy.
Sweet Grandma prayed for our family and over our meal before we started to eat and I cried as she spoke – just a few silent tears as I thought about how she must feel. Her posterity is wide and mighty now and for at least one night, we were together. I also felt so grateful for how palpable “belonging” felt that night for me. I danced on the sidelines of the Turkey Bowl with 20 other Gubler women that didn’t think twice about forming a kick-line and throwing down 20 high-kicks. I heard my “Hiiii!” in my aunt’s greeting. I made a joke with my cousins that I didn’t have to explain, and as I watched our next generation play together, I saw myself running with my cousins when we were the little ones. Families get messy at the branches, but similarity and love is at every family’s roots, and when you get a second to sense and soak up that literal belonging? Wow, what a gift. I thank God for families! I’m so thankful our family got to be totally together for a day this year. Heaven is absolutely akin to a sweet Thanksgiving!
The party continued over at our house for a few days more. Games, more meals, swimming (!!) and movies. This generation is shooting their own roots down and I love it. These are they days that they will remember when my family is wide and mighty. I can’t wait for them to see and feel that future magic!
My siblings and parents got to fuse, too, which we needed! We went to the temple together and grabbed the world’s best soft serve ice cream (“that’s a fact,” says Ryan) when we finished. We missed Nick, Madeleine, Elise, Kimbee and Noah so much. They were close in spirit! As families always are. And there will forever be a “next time” with the way Heavenly Father works. I thank Him for that, too! What a sweet Thanksgiving.
