Suzie Barrett

San Marcos, CA

So Thanksgiving was a blast although it would have been better except that some family couldn't make it, personal reasons and others not feeling well etc. All of it had me thinking. Even though I missed some of my family, this year we were privileged to have "adopted" 4 Marines for Thanksgiving that wouldn't have otherwise been able to make it home to be with their families. Our family tends to be a very "in your face' kind of family. We ask 20 bazillion questions and are interested. We poke fun but only with the best intentions and only want to have a good time. I had nightmares that the Marines that showed up were older and retired and not really what I had in mind as far as "adopting" Marines for Thanksgiving, but okay. In another dream I couldn't find the Marines when it was time to serve turkey, apparently they had come and split before food was served. On Thursday I made sure that my house was extra clean. I set out tables and bought pretty tablecloths and candle centerpieces at each. I rented chairs and even dissed paper plates this time and went for the fancier plastic ones :) I so lovingly rammed a concoction of yummy spices up the turkey’s..eh hem... areas. I made sure to have all my veggies cut, made Almond Rocha and a cheesy casserole the night before so that I would only have to heat stuff up the day of and I would eliminate all the stresses of Thanksgiving and be able to enjoy their company. Taking a shower a couple hours before, I panicked. What if they didn't show?? I had already told everyone they would be here. We ran out of toilet paper. We didn't buy enough frying oil. We didn't have whip cream for the pumpkin pie, no ice. My brother stopped to pick up some of the other missing items and things went off without a hitch. The 4 Marines that came, Mike, Adam, Tyler and Josh showed up right on time, with the BEST bottle of Riesling I have EVER had, really truly, SOOO GOOD! As some of our family left for the evening and others arrived later in different shifts the Marines stayed. I kept thinking at any moment they would probably be saying good nite, thanks for the food, and I would be sad to say goodbye and really wanted to think of something really nice to say to them. Something to let them know how much it meant to me that they came and so graciously ate our food and enjoyed our company and family (we hope). I wanted to tell them how much I appreciated all the sacrifices that they make for us each day, how much I admire their strength, courage and bravery, how loved they are. They really are our heroes. But it got later and the night continued. It was 8:30 and I was putting the food away and washing dishes. Mike came in from the garage and on his way to the restroom asked if he could round up his guys and they would have my kitchen cleaned up in no time. I said no, these guys would never lift a finger in my kitchen, ever. It dawned on me how normal these guys were. They were sons and brothers and nephews and were so alive and funny. They had good personalities, stories and jokes to share. I couldn't keep my mind off the fact that in one swift moment these men that we had only just met hours before could be taken from us, just like that. After cleaning up I went in the garage to hang out. I kept thinking towards the end of the night to take these moments in and remember each of them for the personalities, their faces. We listened to music in the garage. Jason of course introduced them to E.L.O. and Tom Petty! They raced on Jason's Xbox. We played darts and laughed. All 4 Marines that attended our Thanksgiving dinner will be leaving for Iraq in February. One Marine has been to Iraq once before; the other 3 have never been. 10 1/2 hours after they had first arrived, at 11:30 pm they wrote their email addresses down on a piece of paper and thanked us repeatedly for the home cooked meal and company and went on their way. We vowed that we were not saying goodbye that we would keep in touch with them and they would be back at our house for the next get together, party, poker nite, family gathering, etc. whatever reason to party again. With Xmas around the corner I am not sure when the next get together will be but I would like to see if I can get all of the them together FOR SURE before they leave in February. I hope that all of my family and friends can make it over to wish them well and let them know how much we all appreciate everything they stand for. I am so thankful for family, friends and most of all life no matter what form be it -- good health or bad. I hope that Mike, Adam, Tyler and Josh NEVER forget Thanksgiving with our family.