Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning we got up and dressed, finished up what we were doing for Thanksgiving dinner, jumped in the car, drove for 2 hours, and spent the rest of the day with family. It was awesome!!!

Today and yesterday Rachel got out of bed on her own and got books out to look at. That's three days in a row! The wonderful thing about that is that she is not just waiting to be acted upon, but deciding something that she wants and doing it on her own. The other cool thing is that over- or under-sleeping can cause headaches, and I'm clueless about how much sleep she needs or gets. If she gets up on her own, I figure she got about the right amount. She has been a little happier the past two mornings, as well. There is still the "It's my birthday. It's not your birthday. It's mine. This is stupid." going on, but there were also some smiles and cooperation.

Earlier I mentioned her sore knee. I don't know if I looked at it in bad lighting or if it just took a little while to show up (probably both), but she does have kind of a nasty bruise on her knee. I'm sorry it's hurt, but a bit relieved to be able to know what the problem actually is. She must have fallen at school. She hasn't mentioned it since, so it must not be too bad anymore.

We had Thanksgiving dinner with my family. My Mom, most of my sisters and their husbands, children, and grandchildren (none of my brothers or their families could make it this year) were in attendance. We borrow a church for the day, because we don't all fit in a house anymore. It was so much fun! Rachel didn't talk much, she mostly just wandered around and watched people, but she really enjoyed herself. She acted quite prickly whenever anyone talked to her (turning away, saying things like "No. It's mine. You broke it.") but most of the time she smiled and watched. My Mom and sister brought some plastic beads and some yarn for the kids to string and make necklaces. Rachel did that for almost an hour and made a necklace that she wore proudly for the rest of the day. At one point she was moving in a very different way. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I think she was dancing. She had her back to me and I went over so I could see her face to make sure she was okay, and she acted embarrassed and quit moving, so I think I was right. Then I felt bad for interrupting her.

After we ate and talked and ate some more and cleaned up, it was time to go. It was freezing cold (actually never got above freezing all day) and so she wasn't overly thrilled about leaving, but she did okay. We stopped at another aunt and uncle's house on the way home and ate some more pie, and then came home and went to bed. She seemed like she had a really good day. I know I did.

I overheard someone the other day objecting to someone "belonging" to someone else. I think it was a child belonging to a parent, and they didn't like that specific terminology because it implied ownership, and therefore slavery. I see it differently. If something belongs to you, is a prized possession, you take care of it. You watch over it, protect it, make sure that it is in a good environment, and it has what it needs to reach its potential. It you had a Da Vinci painting you would certainly not leave it where it could get damaged or taken. Sitting there in the middle of so much family, I felt like we all belonged to each other. We all take care of each other and love each other, even with all our idiosyncrasies and faults. I know that we'll all be safe with each other. Even if Rachel is doing weird dance steps in the middle of the floor and yells "It's stupid" when someone tries to talk to her, they love her and pray for her and would do anything for her. In return, she teaches them about patience and unconditional love and to be grateful for the many things that they are able to do. We belong to each other.

Right now Rachel is looking at a catalog from a local store (one of her favorite things to do). Her left hand is twitching (her fingernail on her ring finger is totally buffed from rubbing on her thumb so much), and she alternately looks at the catalog and out the front window. I think she's happy, but I really wish I could hear what is going on in her head. I hope she knows how much she is loved. I am truly thankful for my little girl.