Page 46 of Thanksgiving With Dad's Best Friend

“Wow. He’s grown manners overnight!” Flynn teases, ruffling his hair. Daniel scowls.

“I’m being thankful, Dad…that’s the whole point of today.”

“I’m just teasing. Hey, you want some pastries? You can be thankful for that too, right?”

As the morning continues, the kitchen gets busier. The kids slowly join us one by one, and I feel my heart swell as each of them makes a special effort to be polite and grateful. We all settle in front of the TV for a few hours, and even though Chrissie keeps complaining that Thanksgiving movies are cheesy, and even though Sarah and Millie are bickering, and even though Daniel is glued to his phone, this is perfect. It’s all a part of our family life and I love it. These are the moments that I live for, especially with Flynn’s arm around me and my head on his chest. I have everything I’ve ever wanted.

But it’s not over yet. With dinner almost ready, it’s time to add our notes to the Thankful tree. Even though the kids are getting older, it’s a tradition that they all still love, and it’s a special moment that I hold close to my heart every year. We gather in the dining room where Flynn and I had our first Thanksgiving fifteen years ago and crowd around the tree.

“Who wants to go first?” I ask. Daniel slides his phone into his pocket for a moment to hook his note onto the tree branch.

“I’m thankful for my girlfriend,” he says predictably. “And all the food we’re about to eat…and I guess for my family and stuff.”

Flynn laughs. “What an honor, son. How about you, Millie?”

She bites her lip and hooks her note on the tree. “I’m thankful for all my friends and for Dad because he promised we can get a puppy this Christmas.”

I raise an eyebrow at Flynn with a smile. “Is that so?”

He winks back at me. “I never said the puppy would be real…maybe I’ll invest in a toy dog.”

“Dad, no!” Millie cries indignantly, but she knows Flynn well enough to know he’s messing with her. He always keeps his promises, after all. Sarah puts her note on the tree while Flynn is still teasing Millie.

“I’m thankful for Mom promising that I don’t have to eat brussel sprouts this year.”

“So am I,” Chrissie says, rolling her eyes. “No one wants to see you throw up everywhere again like last year.”

“I think that might have had more to do with the amount of pecan pie she ate…but agreed. That’s something we can all be thankful for,” I say fondly. As much as the memory of that is awful, it’s funny to look back on now, even though it embarrassed Sarah to no end.

“Let’s not linger on the puke thing for too long.” Flynn says, hugging Sarah who look a little embarrassed. “What about you, Chrissie?”

She folds her arms. “I don’t have one this year…because I make sure that I’m thankful every day. There. Is that profound enough to please you guys?”

Flynn and I laugh. “Well we had no idea you were so committed to the whole thankfulness thing…we’ll let you off the hook.”

Now it’s our turn. Flynn and I put our notes on the tree at the same time, smiling secretively at one another as we do. We always put a variation of the same thing each and every time, so there’s going to be very few surprises, but it’s always nice to hear what he has to say. He looks me in the eyes.

“I’m thankful for my beautiful wife and everything she does to make this family work. She’s a saint and the hardest worker I’ve ever known. She is kind, compassionate and patient, making her a perfect mother for my four delightful children,” he says, blowing a kiss in my direction. As I pretend to catch it, Sarah giggles and Chrissie groans sassily, despite the smile on her face. I know the kids love hearing Flynn praise me. It reminds them how dedicated we are to each other and the family, and I get the feeling it makes them feel proud of us in some way. He smiles as he carries on.

“I’m thankful for how our kids interact with this family…even though you’re growing up now, you’re all so full of love for each other and us. We know we’re annoying, and it sometimes feels like we hold you back…Daniel, we know we annoy you when we tell you to keep your door open when your girlfriend is here…Chrissie, we know you want to go to all the parties that we never let you go to…Sarah, we know you hate eating veggies…and Millie, we know your lack of puppies thus far is frustrating…but you never disrespect us. You do as your told, and you’re all getting good grades. I’m thankful that your mother passed down all her best traits to you guys. You’re all perfect and I love you all…I feel thankful that I got this chance at a family.”

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