10 of 31: Family Dinner

I'm standing in my brother's tiny pantry holding my little nephew who turns three in May. It's pitch black. His face is inches from mine, and I can't see a thing. We literally bump noses. All we can hear is the cacophony of voices...Uncle Mikey, Aunt Jennifer, Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Morgan, Uncle Timmy, Trevor, Cadence, Jess, Josh, and Caleb. It sounds like a heck of a party on the other side of the door. The voices mix and the laughter abounds. This is family dinner.

Then we hear his mommy, "Has anyone seen my son?" Wyatt starts to giggle in my arms. He knows we're hiding, and only I can hear the small trace of panic underlying the question. She notes that Aunt Liz is gone too and figures we're together, but she cannot find us. "Where is my tiny human? Anyone seen Wyatt?"

I whisper, "Should we shout out and help Mommy find us?"

"No," he whispers, squirming in my arms and laying his head on my shoulder. It is officially 30 minutes past his bedtime, and he's loving every second of it. And let's be honest, I'm loving the snuggles, too.

Finally, we hear Cadence call out, "They're in the closet."

The door opens and our eyes quickly adjust to the bright light and Wyatt squeals in delight as his momma holds out her arms.

This is family dinner. We get together once a month to break bread, rotating houses. Tonight was Uncle Mikey's turn and we feasted on chicken tetrazzini, salad, garlic cheese bread, and brownies with ice cream for Aunt Fer Fer's 40th birthday.

It takes at least ten minutes to give hugs and say our goodbyes. I'm now home with a full belly and full heart. This is family dinner, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.