| Good morning, everybody. How was your Thanksgiving? (If you aren't American, forgive me.) There was strange energy in the media surrounding Thanksgiving this year. A lot of "How to survive your family" or "How not to murder your grandma at the dinner table" or "How to broach difficult topics on Thanksgiving" type articles. It makes me wonder: Are people really that antagonistic with their families? Are families that awful out there? Do people really talk politics on the holidays? I don't believe it. I can't imagine that people are throwing away family ties for such petty reasons. If they are, they shouldn't be. Family is everything. All that your ancestors went through, all the pain they suffered, the hardships they endured, the work they put in—it was for family. Family has been the driving force of human evolution and progression. Don't lose sight of that. Never forget that. Even if you ignore it and "feel" like it doesn't matter to you, family matters on a deeper level. A biochemical one. Your subconscious intuits that something is missing from the equation when you aren't calling your mom, visiting your grandpa, hanging out with your sibling. Raising Devyn and Kyle, Carrie and I were "attachment parents" before it was cool. We carried our kids everywhere. Put them to bed, read to them, didn't "sleep train." That's what felt right for us. Yet, there were times I remember wanting to hurry it all up so I could catch up on some work or attend to some other pressing issue demanding my attention. Running my own business, I didn't always have the luxury of "letting things ride 'til the morning." That's the nature of the beast, but it's also the nature of the child that you can't explain this to them. To them, all they know is that Dad cut the story short. That didn't happen very often—I was always cognizant of work-life balance—but it still hits me when I think of the rare occasions it did happen. Everyone has a different situation. Not all families function well. There's a lot of baggage. I won't deny that. But if you're on speaking terms, or even if there's any chance of reconciliation, give it a try. The majority of people reading this are perfectly civil with their families but may have just forgotten to call recently. Don't let that accumulate or fester. Nip it in the bud. Call. Schedule something. Get some Sunday dinners going. Consider planning a family vacation this year. I want to hear from you. Are family relations that dire, or is it overblown? How was your Thanksgiving? How's your relationship with your family? Call someone in your family, and comment on this week's Weekly Link Love. Thanks for reading today. Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. Best, | 
