Thanksgiving

Dear Lena and Kelsey,

I want to thank you both for getting me through a recent rough night during which, while Ben was away (and had been gone for 5 long days, even during the mice incident) I opted to watch a documentary about faces which scared the absolute crap out of me. I figured I'd be safe with something hosted by John Cleese but I should have remembered that it doesn't take much to freak me out.

If I'd had my druthers, Lena, I would rather that my first conversation with you, my youngest brother's beloved, be about something pleasant instead of a late-night panicky phone call because I am afraid the murderous mayhem that happened to the poor woman in the documentary might happen to me. Yes, the documentary hosted by John Cleese - why didn't I just watch A Fish Called Wanda?.. I don't know.

Anyway, after your admirable reassurance helped calm me down - thank you! - I spent the next 2-1/2 hours on the phone with my brother. I don't know what sort of Saturday night plans you guys had but they most likely didn't include your Sugar Drawers talking the night away to his freaked-out sis. I want to thank you for sharing him with me, though, because a) it really helped, and b) it was a damn good conversation. We ranged from drunken beer stories to When Harry Met Sally to The Grapes of Wrath, and I got off the phone feeling cared-for and protected. As you know, Dave is one awesome brother.

(And, as I hope you'll soon find firsthand, we have a great family that includes our other awesome brother, his Main Squeeze, and their boys, and our folks, and my Honey Buns and our kids... I am a lucky woman.)

So, after Dave talked me down off the ledge, I went to bed - which is where you come in Kels! Fate smiled upon me that day a few weeks ago when you loaned me the book occupying the top shelf of your newly-14-year-old heart, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Kelsey, I LOVE this book and I can totally see why you'd refer to it as your 'bible.' If I was a teenager now, it would be my bible too! You know a book is good when, almost from the first line, you're wishing you hadn't read it yet so that you could experience the fun of reading it for the first time again. Well, that's how Nick and Norah is - as you already know.

But here's the thing, while I was reading I was also thinking about how very grateful I am that you're a part of my life. Without your mom, and the other Ya-Ya sisterhood girls that I had the extreme good fortune to be 14 with, I would not be the happy, strong, lucky woman I am today.

Family and friends, friends and family: you all have bled into each other to form the wonderful rainbow of my life.

And that's something to be thankful for.