I hope that for many of you Thanksgiving Day provided a wonderful family reunion. Why is it that as one gets older, one appreciates family reunions more? Do you remember how much we hated them as teenagers? Teenagers still do. Standing around and making small talk with strangers who share nothing in common with you except a last name. Having older persons pat you patronizingly and marvel at how much you've grown. Then they discuss whose nose you have, whose eyes you have, and even whose ears you have. Being pressured by Aunt Mary to try her special hash recipe. Most teenagers would rather clean their rooms than attend a family reunion.

But as years go by, we appreciate reunions more. We feel a need to draw strength from the larger family, to receive help in our grieving for grandparents an…