Last night, after much scheduling and rescheduling, my immediate family gathered to celebrate Father’s Day and my husband’s birthday. There were seven of us altogether, gathered at a big round table at the Flavors of India in Gateway.
You may know what I mean when I say that getting the whole family together is a challenge once the kids have grown and flown. Add to that offspring who work in the restaurant business, or retail, or in theatre, and you might as well hire a scheduling assistant to make it work. At one point I despaired ever finding a date that everyone could agree on.
It was worth all the effort.
We ate early, due to various time constraints, so we pretty much had an area all to ourselves. It was peaceful, unrushed. Everyone could hear everyone else talk. There was room at the table to read birthday cards and pass them around, and the pacing allowed my husband the time to open presents.
This isn’t a restaurant review, although the food was wonderful. It isn’t a treatise on the future of Gateway, although I almost got lost (yet again) trying to find my way out.
It’s about the sheer joy of getting to be with one’s family and experiencing the reminder that these are people who “get” you and know your stories and foibles and love you anyway. Or maybe even because of all that. It’s about being grateful that your kids feel comfortable bringing people they care about into the family circle.
The whole world has been pretty terrible lately and the recent news in the US terrifies me. Last night I experienced an hour or so of freedom at an Indian restaurant in Gateway where the food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the company was everything I needed it to be.
Whatever you do today, I wish you the kind of freedom that eases your heart and reminds you of the things you value the most.
What kinds of experiences do that for you? Share them. It will do us all good to learn from one another.
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