(This blog should have been published weeks ago, but- life. I am determined to getting back to regular posting, so please bear with me.) Have you ever had a holiday where you thought, “Dear Lord, we could write a country song about this one!” I’m just going to be honest; this holiday has been a … More Better Late Than Never: Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas
Even after all these yearsit still fills me with joy;the magic of Christmas.The twinkling lights of the tree,the aromas of a special meal cooking,the smiles and kind acts in a frantic world.I am grateful that no matter how many years have passed,we all still become children againeven if only for a brief moment,on Christmas morning.
I am curled up on the couch with Marley this Christmas Eve, Dan in his chair next to the fireplace. We’ve turned off the television and are enjoying the festive lights and relative quiet here in our Southside, Birmingham, neighborhood (other than the occasional fireworks). The comforting hiss of the gas fireplace accompanying the blessed … More Missing Pieces
I wondered if I would feel it when I woke up in the pre-dawn of Christmas morning on this year of all years; that familiar electricity mixed with anticipation and unbridled joy instilled from my earliest childhood memories. The magic of Christmas that has nothing whatsoever to do with presents or pandemics. I did feel … More A Christmas Morning
I find that I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around Christmas this year. Though I’ve had bursts of holiday spirit, Covid has colored everything with a heavy blanket of worry, isolation, and profound loss. Our home is decorated, music is playing; all of the trappings are here, but there is a hollowness, a … More On Holiday Wrapping
It’s funny how memories can lay dormant for long periods of time and then bubble to the surface when triggered by a certain sight, sound, or smell. I was looking out onto the sunporch and the beautiful winter view of the city when suddenly I was transported to Christmas 2009, what would unknowingly be our … More A Little Christmas Memory
Even though there are several meetings and some school work left to do, the Christmas break has officially begun after the strangest semester of my long teaching career. I am always excited to get to the holidays, but this year is different. I think we all need a dose of the normalcy of holiday traditions … More A Merry Little Christmas
The day after our quiet Thanksgiving holiday, we headed to the tree lot at the Birmingham Zoo to select our Christmas tree. As inevitably happens, I went right to the tree that I knew was the one; I make Dan laugh, telling him I’m like that with husbands, dogs, and Christmas trees. It’s my super … More On a Medicinal Decorating Day
Dan and I were talking last night about all that we have been through over the past ten years. 2010 was an especially challenging year for us in many ways; we lost Dan’s mother, Dan was unexpectedly laid off from his job bringing all sorts of financial difficulties to our family, I severely broke my … More A Decade of Life: Welcome to the Roaring Twenties
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Shiva was racing and then she would pounce; On stomachs, on couches, on forbidden dining tables, On Marley, on headboards- even Nativity stables! Marley sighed deeply and ignored the cat’s flight, All snugged by the fire lit by Dan’s LED light. Me, I was fasting … More ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Rebooted
The View from Here 