Thankful for Friends and Family!

I've been around the block long enough to have learned you should never say never.

That being said, today is our last Thanksgiving as Indiana residents. And so today, we're especially retrospective. As cliche' as this is going to sound, today we are thankful for good friends.

For the past several weeks, we have been scheduling get-togethers with as many friends and family as possible before we scoot out of town. And what a joy it has been. No matter the breakfast, lunch, or dinner, we have had an absolute blast catching up with loved ones, and it is an endeavor I'm so glad we've undertaken.

And after each, I've left thinking, "Why haven't we done this more often?"

Wonder why that is, ya think?

Why did we wait to make this effort now, right before we're leaving town?

I get it. I fully understand how busy everyone is, because our own lives can get really busy, really often. Especially when we were raising our boys, our time could be filled up quickly with little else than dealing with all their activities. The reality is we're all busy. And it's probably been that way for most generations.

But then, we all set our own priorities, don't we? Don't get me wrong, our immediate families should always be our first priority. I know mine was to me, and I make no apologies for the fact that often, other friends and family in my life got pushed aside for anything I wanted to do with my wife and kids. I would expect the same treatment in return.

But sometimes I do think we lose focus. Outside of immediate family, how many other things -- and I do mean "things" -- do we put in front of spending time with loved ones? As I look back at my own life, and especially as I get older, I can reflect on numerous times when I chose to occupy my time with something that now seems completely meaningless, over spending time with a good friend or family member.

How many times have I been invited to do something with someone, only to tell them no, I'm simply covered up right now? I regret a lot of that now.

To be fair, and completely honest, the Mrs. and I have always been really good hanging out with just each other. In fact, there's nothing I enjoy more than just being with her. And so while we have many friends and family to whom we feel very close, we've never been that couple who always goes out with that other couple, or always vacations with those particular friends. And that's OK. We know others who virtually always go out or vacation with another particular couple or group. And that's OK too.

In either case, in the larger scheme of things, how many times have we put off spending time with loved ones for something far less important?

A good friend of mine recently told me that they have a rule in their family: If another friend or family member asks them to do something together, the answer is an automatic yes. Life is too short, he says, to pass up those opportunities. So they always say yes.

I like that. I like that very much. I wish I'd adopted that mantra a long time ago.

And so here we are, just over a week away from our big move. And we will be leaving everything -- and most everybody -- we've ever known. Don't misunderstand... we're VERY excited for this new chapter in our lives. And moving across the country isn't the same today as it used to be. With social media, friends can sometimes now stay in touch better than ever before.

But it isn't, of course, the same as being able to sit down over dinner and just fellowship with each other. Or just hang out in each other's living room and catch up, face to face.

Yes, today, we are especially thankful for all our friends.

Which is why it was so important to us in this move to find a home that had space for people to come visit. We've never lived in a home that was really big enough to house visitors. And it was a priority of ours to make sure we got one in this move.

And we have. Plenty of space, in fact, at the risk of sounding boastful. We're moving to a vacation spot, and we'd love nothing more than for our friends and family to come and enjoy it as much as we do. To everyone we've invited to come visit... yes, we're serious. To each of you who may be reading this... yes, we're serious. It would be our absolute pleasure for you to come visit us.

There may be times, to be sure, as we'll have to handle the responsibilities of our everyday lives, that you may have to come and entertain yourselves a bit while in town. But to the best of our ability, we'll strive to be good and gracious hosts. We'll make time over dinner a priority, and perhaps we can play a round of golf, or explore Savannah for a day, or just relax on the beach.

We'd like that very much.

And so, on this Thanksgiving Day, please know beyond a doubt that we are are deeply thankful for all the friends and family in our lives. And we hope to see you all again very, very soon.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May your lives be as blessed as ours.