A Christmas Miracle (Of Sorts)-Love In A Box

I was busy trying to get dressed when my guests arrived for Christmas dinner. I had been cooking all night, and afternoon, so I got my shower at the very last minute. By the time I got the fire going, the meal cooked, the presents wrapped, the candles lit, the table set, etc., I really needed a “Calgon take me away” moment. (If you’re too young, this won’t mean anything to you.)

My mom is an insulin dependent diabetic with lots of other health problems. She has rheumatoid and osteoarthritis also. Her legs have almost refused to work in the last couple of weeks, so she was not able to scale my stairs to the kitchen. (Yes, we have an upstairs kitchen. Long story-but we were in our 20’s and wanted a lake view from the kitchen and living room.) Great idea when you’re in your late 20s…not so great when you’re in your middle 50s. At any rate, I went down to the family room (where we were going to eat) and greeted her. She handed me a little unwrapped gift, much to my surprise. (This was in addition to a money gift she gave my husband and I for Christmas.) I couldn’t believe it. You know from my blog, how grumpy she had been all week, and almost mean at times. (Okay…mean for sure, at times.) Well it was a crystal teddy bear, holding a rose, in a little pink heart shaped box. She said, “Read what it says.”

I read the inscription in the top of the box:

“Always In My Heart”

I wonder if you know

How special you are?

You are so dear to me

Always in my heart.

(Very touching.) I think it was her way of apologizing for some of the things that have happened lately. And if I stop and think about this carefully, it may be that all the love I have been craving from her, is right here in a little heart shaped box.

(This one’s by Bette Midler, not LeAnn Rimes like it says)

Post Christmas Carol

Well, it’s 1:15 a.m. and I just got through eating some deviled eggs! LOL! When you’re the hostess, you don’t actually taste your food all that much, since you’re so busy seeing that other people are happy. So I always sneak a snack late at night-when it’s all over.

It was a pleasant evening, and both my husband and I are exhausted. There is just so much to do to get ready for Christmas, and so much to do to recover from it! But it’s over for another year, and I’m still breathing…faintly. (Smile)

My husband and I never seem to have a chance to give each other our gifts before Christmas, so we always wait for a quieter evening. We have learned this works better for us, than trying to grab a moment when we’re exhausted. Maybe that’s part of getting older. You learn that things can be postponed and still be good. (Sometimes even better.)

We had a nice dinner, door prizes that you can only claim if you put on the silly headband Christmas hats-(things like reindeer ears, light-bulbs, etc.), and a really fun game that involves winning money (lots of fun). Then we opened the presents. And as they say, a good time was had by all. (But then my husband and I had to clean it all up.) Well, you know the story.

Now for the first time this whole season, I feel peaceful. I can sleep in tomorrow. I can warm up leftovers for dinner (we love them.) And I don’t have to do all this for another year. Every year I say that will be the last time I go through all this, but I just keep on feeling like I have to do it. Then when my daughter gets married, she’ll want to have Christmas at home with us, I imagine. And hey-I’m just wondering… is there any escape from all this in a woman’s entire life???? Hmmm…maybe not. Lol!

But for now, I choose to be like Scarlett O’Hara, and think about that…tomorrow! (Wink)