Dear Family and Friends…
It’s time for the yearly family newsletter. We’ve done this in various forms in past years—everything from the classic newsletter to an electronic one sent via e-mail (that sound you just heard was Martha Stewart drowning herself in a vat of her homemade eggnog.) They are your usual fare: snippets about what we’ve been up to this year; quips about the challenges of parenting; recognitions of our blessings, etc. etc. Typical of what many of us receive this time of year. Sure the activities might vary from letter to letter (“Little Jimmy began his pre-school SAT prep class this year”) and the achievements differ (“We’re happy to report that Bob has been cleared of all charges”), but it’s generally a glossy look back at your family’s year.
Quite frankly, I think we should all aim for a little more honesty in our letters. I’m not suggesting that what we write now isn’t true, I just don’t think it paints an accurate portrait of our day-to-day selves. Talking points might include:
“We cooked more at home, mostly because the Chinese food place no longer delivers.”
“The children had clean socks that matched almost every day this year. Lisa can’t be bothered to put them away, so the children get to spend lots of quality time together searching through a giant blue mesh bag that lives in her room.”
“We continue to take great joy in our pets. There is the 16 year old cat that poops on the floor three times a day now, but we count our blessings and no one has actually stepped in it.”
“The children are a delight. Well, nobody hit, bit, scratched or in anyway caused bodily harm to anyone else and that’s good enough for us.”
“The Monkey is still playing the trumpet in the school band. We think he’s pretty good, but since he never practices at home, we can’t really be sure.”
“We’ve enjoyed working on house projects together…we finished painting the 1/3 of the wall that was left unpainted when we ran out of paint last February.”
I think this is what we should aim for. After all, it’s the little day-to day-triumphs that unify us and for which we are truly grateful.
I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the both the big and small blessings in your own lives!
Happy New Year!
