Merry Christmas

I am sitting here, in the half darkness of my house, with the fire softly dying and the (entire --OH YEAH!) tree blinking magically in the way the Christmas lights blink after you see them through the eyes of a child. I am drinking some apple cider and sitting on the couch, almost too tired to get up and go to bed.

But, it's here, you know. After all the flurry and stress and the reasonable questions of how much is enough and how spoiled are our children and are we practicing good financial stewardship --in the end, none of that will matter. Because in the end, none of that is remotely part of the huge, grand feeling the comprises the gratitude and blessedness I feel this Christmas.

I've whined and cried and talked endlessly about what a hard year this has been for me. But this afternoon, as I sat listening to a CD of the Christmas carols we used to listen to when I was a child, I had one of those blinding moments of clarity that put everything right into perspective. It's been a year of small failures--of my body, of my courage, of my optimism --but you know what? In the end, it's all superficial. Everything I love and hold dearest is just... trucking right along, doing fine.

I hope...well, I hope so much for you, my dear readers. You've given me so much this year. You've sustained me and cheered me on and offered the sagest of advice and commiseration. Many of you have become more than just cyber-friends--you've become people I count in my Coat of Blessings. You're just... such an amazingly positive presence in my life. Thank you.

Happy Holidays. And may God bless us, every one!