Great Christmas

Well dear friends, I'm home once again. I had a marvelous time with my brothers in Sparta, North Carolina celebrating Christmas. My first white Christmas since early childhood, to the best of my memory ----- those of you that know me personally understand that just because I don't remember something, doesn't mean it hasn't happened! Sam and I arrived in the late afternoon on Wednesday after a pleasant 11 hour drive. We had expected there to be snow on the ground, but didn't expect there to still be 12-14" remaining after the previous weekend's flurries. Because the driveways were snowed in, we had the pleasure of lugging our belongings up the rather long drive to Mike's house. (Notice the word "up" -- why is it always up?) It was hilarious smashing into the snow almost up to my knees. After 2 trips, we were able to get the house heated and settle in. Mike arrived early the next morning and commented, "I saw your footprints in the snow, but what was the square imprint on each side every 10 or 15 feet?" We realized that it was where I had needed to set down my bags every so often to catch my breath. Too funny! Hey, I'm short, not young, and was carrying a heavy backpack, two grocery bags (reusable, of course), and my purse. At least I made it up there successfully. Early Thursday morning, Sam decided to clear the snow off of the porch. We couldn't find a show shovel, but this one did the job quite successfully.

The three siblings at Christmas Eve dinner. I would tell you what we ate, but I truly can't remember. Mike made salmon one meal, so we'll pretend it was that night. It was good, whichever night we ate it.

Mike's house is very nice and we were able to relax. It rained steadily all day on Christmas, but we took the chance when it was barely drizzling to drive the 1 mile or so to the Blue Ridge Parkway -- which was closed for the winter. We parked as close as we could get, hiked the remainder of the way and just walked along the snowy roadway enjoying the cold air and the views. We didn't really enjoy the light drizzle, but it didn't dampen our spirits. (Did you get the pun?)

I was very excited to give Michael his gift -- a bound photo book of our time together in Italy. He really liked it and we had a good time reliving our trip of 4 weeks ago and sharing the photos and stories with Sam. Gifts were thoughtful and appreciated by all. My Christmas was special this year, and I hope yours was, too.

Tomorrow my family will gather here to celebrate Christmas together. I expect the 5 children that live locally, my new daughter-in-love, and Ken to be here for dinner and sharing gifts. I have unknowingly foound a way to stretch Christmas out -- I'm more clever than even I realized. Another day to look forward to........ yea!!

Please take the time to cherish those you love. Life is about people, not things. It's about love, not acquisitions; about giving of your experiences, your time, your talents.......... your heart.