The People I Miss

 I am thankful for…the people I miss. Before you think I have completely lost my mind, let me explain. I miss my family. I miss them terribly. There is something about having your mom, dad and family around especially in the Holiday season. I miss sitting at the kitchen table talking to my mom about everything going on while she makes the bread crumb dressing. I miss hearing my daddy cackle at my corny jokes and seeing my boys hover near him because they love their grandpa. I miss my brother and his big bear hugs. I miss my sister-in- laws. Crystal has a beautiful laugh and it's so funny to watch her and her brother pick on each other...my son Michael wants to be just like Jamie. I love sitting at Malinda's table and catcing up on life...Raul makes me laugh all the time. I miss Ann and Joe…and arguing over how we are going to divide up Uncle Tony’s shrimp salad. I miss my mother-in-law Carol, she really cares about me….and I love how she loves my children. Today, while I was standing at the grocery store I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. My nose started getting stuffy and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from becoming a sniveling mess. I miss them…all of them. While I was standing there pretending to be intently reading a jar of olives, my work phone rang. It was one of the kids on my caseload. She was calling to thank me for the birthday card I had mailed her, and to tell me Happy Thanksgiving. She asked what time she could call me on Thanksgiving day, she has called me every holiday and birthday for the past 2 ½ years. I am the closest thing she has to family. Her parents abandoned her. Her siblings have long since forgotten she exists….she has no one. I remember that feeling. I remember being in foster care…and having no one. I remember being on a playground and kids calling me bastard and orphan. I was alone. The day I was adopted, I remember one specific feeling…it’s not really an emotion, and yet it sort of is….belonging. For the first time in my life I belonged somewhere. No matter where I went or how far away I was from my new family…I would from that day forward…belong. There were people that loved me…people that would miss me if I wasn’t around…I had a family. So this evening as I think over this day’s events; I am thankful for the people I miss. I have people to miss, and people that miss me…and that is much more than I used to have.