The Weekend That Taught Me Everything

Thanksgiving Didn’t Go How I Planned. But It Taught Me Exactly What I Needed to Learn

Thanksgiving is supposed to be about gratitude, family, and peace.
This year? It gave me all three but the peace didn’t come from where I expected.

I spent four days with my beautiful wife and family. She cooked a full, warm, home-filled Thanksgiving meal the type you make when you love the people you’re cooking for. But when it was time to eat, her mother acted like she had everywhere else to be except at the table her daughter prepared.

And her son?
A 33-year-old man got so drunk he couldn’t even be awakened. Couldn’t show up. Couldn’t sit down. Couldn’t respect the moment or the effort.

I’ll be honest with you:
It made me angry.
Not because I needed a big table filled with people but because my wife deserved better. She put her heart into that meal, and the people she cooked for couldn’t show her the same love back.

But even through all that, she stayed calm.
She stayed steady.
And the way she carried herself is the only reason I kept my cool.
She didn’t ask for much just a peaceful weekend.
And I was determined to give her exactly that.

So the three of us me, my wife, and our son Kyi sat down together. We ate, laughed, later we watched movies, played Uno, and created our own peace. No drama. No noise. Just us.

When Energy Doesn’t Match, It Shows

The next day we took the boys to the Fashion District. I wanted to give them what they needed. Instead, the same grown man acted like a child complaining, whining, making the day harder than it needed to be.

Meanwhile, my son Kyi who’s just 15 showed more maturity than the adult beside him.

We grabbed some good Mexican food afterward, but I was done. My energy was drained. My patience had run out.

The following day, me and my wife went back to the Fashion District alone and it was everything.
Productive.
Smooth.
Peaceful.
Just two adults moving together, enjoying each other, no interruptions. Dinner and a glass of wine ended the night perfectly.

By Sunday, we hit Fixin’s. Another perfect meal. Another stress-free day. Another reminder that peace comes naturally when the right people are around you.

The Moment It Clicked: Peace Is a Choice

I realized something powerful this Thanksgiving, something I should’ve understood a long time ago:

Peace isn’t something you wait for.
Peace is something you protect.

I tried to shield my wife from the foolishness because she deserved a calm weekend. She deserved a moment to breathe. She deserved better than the drama we were handed.

But protecting peace doesn’t mean holding everything inside.
It means setting boundaries so you don’t have to keep fixing moments that other people break.

And that’s when it hit me:

Not everyone deserves access to our home, our energy, or our space even if they’re family.

Some people bring love.
Some people bring chaos.
Some bring both, depending on the day.

But if someone consistently disturbs your peace more than they contribute to it, you have every right to create space.

That’s not being cold.
That’s not being selfish.
That’s being grown.

Her Peace Comes First

My wife asked for one thing this Thanksgiving:
a peaceful weekend.

And watching how she showed grace in the middle of childish behavior made me realize something deep:

Her peace is my priority.
Her heart is my responsibility.
Her calm is my mission.

If someone can’t respect that I don’t need them close. I’ll love people from a distance before I let them disturb my home again.

The Final Truth

Here’s where I stand today:

I’m done forcing moments with people who don’t show up.

I’m done choosing obligation over peace.

I’m done babysitting grown adults.

I’m done letting other people’s chaos become my problem.

I love my family, but I love my peace too.
And my wife’s peace? That comes first.

This Thanksgiving didn’t unfold the way I pictured it.
But it happened exactly the way it needed to.. because it opened my eyes.

In the end, the real blessing wasn’t who was invited…

It was who actually showed up with love, respect, and maturity.


T. Salih Ramsey

The Climb Blog
Read more at: theclimbblog.com

Keep climbing. Keep becoming.