Holiday update

The cats like the box they got for Christmas. They are taking turns with it.
This was Annie's turn.

It's time for a brief stop in during this holiday season. The days have been going by fast and furious with stories to tell. Even though on the surface, this seems like one of the most difficult Christmases I've had, it also has been one of the most meaningful and fun. More to come on that.

I spent Christmas day and a few others visiting my mother. Ward and the Boys stayed back and spent Christmas with Ward's family. New Year's Day, Ward, Wally, Theo and I will have a Christmas celebration in our immediate family. In between, it looks like an explosion went off in our house trying to keep up with all of the moving parts and not quite succeeding. However, slow and steady wins the race or perseverance pays off or something like that. I know things will eventually settle down.

In the meantime, I hope that all of you have had a calm and meaningful Christmas. And if not, pat yourself on the back for surviving it.

Back soon with more details. For right now, I'm still trying to clean off the couch so we have a place to sit.

Thankful Sunday--December 20, 2015

I am thankful for Christmas fun.

Even though I have been distracted by other things, I've managed to have some fun this Christmas season. And for these fun times, I am thankful.






We have Christmas lights up outside. Nothing fancy, but just enough to put a smile on my face when I come home in the dark (which these days is before 5 PM).











We have our tree up and Wally and Theo were home for the decorating. A win-win situation. These are also lights I enjoy in the evening (and the morning.) We have a lot of dark these days.











Santa visited our street the other night riding on a fire engine. For the past few years, Santa has been too busy to visit this way, so it was a fun surprise to see him again with his firefighter friends. He stopped and talked to all of the kids.












Ward and I went to see the Christmas Carol at the local theater. It was a one man play/reading and it was amazing. After a short while, you forgot that there was only one actor.

And then there were three

Today was the day when we knew it was finally time to let Lucy go. She is in a better place.

Trials

I generally try to be positive on my blog, so it's been hard for me to write a post recently. Below are some ramblings to explain why. Sort of a stream of consciousness.

I am weary. But just not because of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Life keeps marching on and it's not giving me much time to rest. My mother had a fall which resulted in some broken bones. This has brought a whole new set of difficult issues about her care. And while that was going on, we found out that a close family member's cancer has returned.  Add the continual intensive care of a declining cat, and as I said, I am weary.

Christmas can be a fun, joyous time, but for many it's a time of mixed emotions. It's often a time that bittersweet memories of the past are the most intense. Whether it's the first or 30th time of celebrating the holidays without a loved one, it's a difficult time. Thoughts of Ward's sister, who passed away in May, are ever present in the family's mind with both sadness and a determination to Ethool (Enjoy The Heck Out Of Life) as she so wonderfully did despite the adversities she was facing.

Okay, I'm really depressing myself. Time to switch gears. Yes, life goes on and there are ups and downs to it. We have to accept what we can't change and celebrate the gifts we are given each day. For example, the weather has been warm, and I finished one of the gifts I was making and got it in the mail. I had a great holiday party at work where I saw a coworker who has been too ill to come to work for a few months. She's getting better. Our tree is decorated and lights are beautiful at night. I have enough money to pay all of my bills, and I saw a cardinal yesterday. The list is endless when I take time to focus on the positive.

I hope if you are weary this holiday season, it's because you stayed up too late wrapping presents and you're worrying about when you're going to have time to bake the cookies for the neighbors. But if you're weary because life is difficult right now, I hope you are able to rest a little so you can remember some of the things that are a blessing.

Thankful Sunday--December 13, 2015

I am thankful for warm weather.

The woods were brown and a little muddy during our hike.

Yesterday, it was in the 60's! In December! And it was wonderful. Ward and I took a hike in the morning and then pretended like it was cold outside and decorated our Christmas tree in the afternoon. Wally and Theo came and we had a big pot of chili with cornbread to complete the illusion of winter. However, it was still warm outside and that got us talking about when we lived in Houston where it was usually warm at Christmastime. This evolved into a fun trip down memory lane of Christmases past.

Christmas comes whether or not it looks like a Christmas card outside and for that I am thankful. But I'm especially thankful that I didn't need a jacket yesterday.