Hug

It is always exciting to sit at my computer and write for you. Visions travel into my head as I think about the reader. Today is an ordinary day for us as a family. Mike and Kaitlin are working at his engineering business. Savannah is all tucked into bed while I sit at my computer with a fresh cup of coffee. My office is a mess from the last party we hosted with papers scattered all over my desk, school books piled everywhere, and a to-do list that is about to eat me up. But I would not have it any other way. My piles and messes means progress for me. The busy lifestyle is what keeps me strong. Occasionally I have people ask me what I do all day, that makes me laugh and feel like screaming (in a very dignified way). My mess and scattered lumber in the yard is progression. It wouldn't be there if I was the bon-bon queen. As a woman I feel that my house is a reflection of who I am. It defines my personality, love, and sometimes inner turmoil. When my home looks like a tornado hit then you will know that the treehouse is clean, the yard is mowed, and product is on the shelf.

Our holidays can be filled with the stress of family, cooking, money, driving, flying, eating too much, shopping, loneliness, frustration, confusion, STRESS STRESS STRESS. Do any of these apply to you? My friend is just now starting to be okay with Christmas. She has tons of grandchildren and the question is what to get them on a budget. Money is very tight and who knows what a 16 year old wants when you only see her a few times a year. This is a deep seeded stress for her as well as so many others. At the end of the day that 16 year old is just thinking about going to mall and texting her friends. The gift was nice but it is just stuff.

Sitting at the breakfast table yesterday with my daughter, she asked me how I like my birthday gifts. I told her for the 10th time that I love it. She said “Mommy I gave you two gifts”. Oh poop! Two gifts? As I looked at her, with my mind running around like a dog chasing it's tale trying to remember the second gift. “What could it have been?” I know she bought me perfume, but what else? She quickly caught my attention and said “Mommy do you know what the second gift was?” “ No Baby, I cannot remember.” “It was a HUG! That is the best gift that I could give you Mommy.” In my mind I envision myself being presented with the 'Loser MOM of the year award'. Looking into my daughters eyes I tell her that was the best gift ever and when we hug we give our love to another. Our hearts touch for a moment and we truly embrace each other. What a blessing that is but so easy to dismiss it.

Go hug a neighbor, a tree, your pet, or yourself. Embrace those small moments like it is the last time. Let the messes in life go and throw that stress out the window. Think about what you remember most about the holiday. People don't look back at your Christmas dinner and say..Did you see how those glasses sparkled? What was up with that speck of dirt on her carpet? Why did she have paper napkins and not cloth? Most think about that amazing bite of food, the laughing as Uncle Mike balanced a chair on his chin. For one second, time stops....A camera in your mind starts flashing pictures of the faces around you. The laughter, joy, and happy tears that everyone is experiencing. That is an intense memory and something that people will forever talk about. It is the feeling that people hold on to.

May your holiday be memorable and wacky.

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