It was a long, hard tour this year. As hectic as the schedule was, we were all looking forward to one good break to spend some time with family and friends: Thanksgiving.

We had just gone through Ohio from top to bottom doing shows from Cleveland down to Cincinnati. My parents were on the west coast spending Thanksgiving with my sister’s family. They had hoped I would make it back in time, but we were really far from completing our tour due to many last minute cancellations and some spur-of-the-moment last-minute shows.

I was now technically stranded in Ohio. I knew I had some family in Columbus a few hours away from Cincinnati. I got off the tour van. The guys were going to go down to our hometown, Louisville, Kentucky to spend some time with their families. I caught the Greyhound to Columbus, and decided to pay a surprise visit to my cousin Jake. Jake is a nice guy who was always my favorite cousin. He had already invited me for Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, but I wasn’t sure whether I could make it, so I never really confirmed things with him.

As I walked up to that door, I thought I was doing the wrong thing. I was barging in on a family’s Thanksgiving time, without prior notice.  This all changed as soon as that door opened and I was warmly welcomed in.  My cousin, his wife Tracy and a few other cousins who I hadn’t seen in years were also there. It was great catching up on old times, and there was another seat made at the table especially for me. And they had plenty of food to share! For someone like me, who had been on the road for so long, so much family attention and care was great. I had a Thanksgiving that I will remember for a long time.