It's only 10:30 on Christmas morning and Hubs & I sit here in the living room enjoying our coffee & cinnamon rolls waiting for Rocker Son to arrive so we can go to a movie together. Seems so strange for a Christmas morning!
My mind can't stop going to the long mornings of gift opening we used to enjoy. We would bundle the kids & their presents up early & drive the one hour trip to my Mom & Dad's place. Once we arrived there would be even more waiting as we all had a hearty breakfast & then opened stockings...one wrapped treasure at a time...one person at a time! It took forever, but so fun with tons of laughter no matter what age the opener was. My parents, married sibs & us all bought stocking stuffers for the person we had pulled out of a hat on Thanksgiving!
Then on to the "big" gifts under the trees, yes, my parents had two trees almost hidden behind piles of gifts. They did not have a lot of money but my Mom began collecting gifts beginning in January! She often endured some teasing for finding presents deep in some closet the following July!
Those crazy busy days seem very far away this morning in our quiet house that feels a little large today. This transition time is interesting & I realize this moment that I have a pretty clear choice how to respond to it. More than once in this space, I have admonished young moms to enjoy their season of busy-ness. I have said with some hints of arrogance that it is important to cherish the current moments because someday they will wish to re-live them.
So now it is my turn to embrace the season I am in or to mope it away. I have a dear friend who is enduring her first Christmas without her 31 year old daughter who passed unexpectedly 6 months ago. My kids are both alive. My whole family is happy & well even though we are spread out all over the U.S. this morning. I am thankful for my richness this Christmas. I am warm & healthy. I choose to be thankful, to do otherwise would be unthinkable & some day I may be wishing to re-live these peaceful times.
About the time I adjust and get comfortable to changes, life throws me another curve and it changes again. I remember it took me a couple of months to adjust to the role of motherhood. The day I gave birth, I realized I was no longer the center of my own universe. I've always enjoyed motherhood but just as I was beginning to get the hang of it...she grew up on me!!! I'm not looking forward to the next adjustment....but I guess there's a season for all things!
ReplyDeleteYou expressed this moment in life so eloquently. So glad we found each other through blogging.
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