Thanksgiving... Another "glorious" holiday

I remember when holidays were fun. The older I get, the more holidays seem to lose their meaning. When I was a child, I relished all my holidays. My family would spend time at my grandmother’s house and my aunt’s house. We would be out most of the day and we always had a great time.

Now, I dread the holidays. Spending time with my dad’s family is a great thing. I enjoy all the time that I spend there, but going to see my mom’s family is another story.

I’m never good enough. I can never seem to do anything right. Today is Thanksgiving. I spent a few hours at my mom’s house with my sisters and my grandmother. Everything was going great until I mentioned something about my aunt (my mom’s sister). The minute I brought her up, Gran started going off on me about respect… I should respect my mother. I should call my mother. I should not call my aunt so much because she is not my mother.

Respect, I understand. But, how am I supposed to respect someone who does not respect me at all. I don’t know what it is. I think maybe it’s a jealousy issue. I’m a great person. I’m independent. I enjoy life and cherish every minute of it. My mom’s a very bitter person. When she and my dad divorced, she began to get every joy out of cutting my dad down. It’s one thing to do that with friends, but to talk about my dad in front of my is another thing completely. I hate it, and she won’t stop regardless of how many times I tell her to.

Christmas is exactly one month away, and now I am dreading it even more. My aunt and uncle will be there. It’s going to be awkward. Plus, I’ll get all sorts of grief because my gifts won’t be good enough. I won’t be doing anything they want. I’m not teaching. I’m working at the same company as my dad. If only they would support me, then none of this stuff would be going through my head.

With the help of God and my friends, I know that I can get through the holidays. I don’t know what I would do without them. Granted, I wish that my family was more normal, instead of putting the “fun” in “dysfunctional,” we should be just having fun.

Friends come and go. Family is forever. You’re born with them. You live with them. I guess the only way to deal with family is to keep your cool. Live with the fact that they are not going anywhere, and take everything they say with a grain of salt.