Sunday. No family

The freedom.
No sister-in-law ringing to see if we can babysit the kids.
No mother asking us to call in and see Gran, because she hasn't been well lately.
No fighting at Christmas about who will celebrate with who, where and doing what.
No obligatory birthday celebrations with the relatives.
No feeling we "should" invite them over for dinner.
No family get-togethers surrounded by people you hardly know anymore, or hardly knew in the first place.
No need to go watch concerts, dance shows or footballs games to show your support.
No need to fight about whose mother we'll ask to babysit, or if either even will.
No angry phone calls because  I haven't called or even visited in a while.
No father, brother or cousin wanting help to build the deck.
No expectation to do things the way everyone else does.
No one calling in, catching us unaware.
No need to put in an appearance, ever.
No one peering through the cracks, or even for them.
No rituals.
No traditions.
Ah the freedom.
The loneliness.