I was challenged by my sister over on our blog crossingthestreams.net to take a moment to list the top 5 things for which I am most ungrateful. Snarky? Perhaps. But I chose to see the humor in the situation and went for it full force. However, after unleashing such negativity into the Universe, I feel compelled to provide some checks and balances and take a positive spin on justdestiny.com.

It seems the holidays bring out our most altruistic selves. From those feeding the homeless to the PETA folks looking out for the turkeys and pigs destined to become dinner, everyone has a cause to champion. In no way am I trying to undermine the work of my activist counterparts. However, this holiday, I am going to be completely selfish and champion my own cause…for today I am going to meet Adam’s family for Thanksgiving dinner.

This is the first Thanksgiving without the kids that I will spend in another family’s home. The last time I didn’t have the kids with me for the holiday, I sidled up to the counter at Waffle House, where Bill the Grill Cook served me my turkey dinner. I don’t think I have ever been lonelier in my life. So to be invited into another’s home, and a loved one’s at that, is a pretty big thing.

Now, thank goodness I have already met his parents, sister and one of his three brothers, so the most difficult tasks are down. But since he has never brought a girl home for dinner, much less a holiday celebration, I am a bit nervous. And I have my own past in-law relationship ghosts to contend with, since my abrasive ex-mother-in-law and I never really quite meshed, to put it mildly. I keep reliving past awkward family dinners with my former in-laws and wondering what is in front of me. After all, here is Adam jumping right into a ready-made family—if I were his siblings, I’d certainly want to know a heck of a lot more! I imagine pointed questions that lead to pregnant silences or worse, sharp words.

Adam has done his best to reassure me that things will be fine, and deep down, I know he is right. After all, I really enjoyed my time with his parents when we met for lunch, and they did a fantastic job raising such a caring and thoughtful man. I’m pretty sure their efforts were not solely focused on Adam and their parenting successes extended to his brothers and sister as well.

Tonight when the stuffing is gone and the pie has been served and we roll back to Cincinnati filled to the brim, Adam and I will have crossed another bridge in our relationship. Jesting aside, I really have little to be ungrateful for….for all the missteps in my life have led to me understanding that the best is yet to come.

I love you all…some more than others.