Merry Christmas

What a fantastic weekend we had with our families. I love Christmas. And I'm sad that it's over! I love my family. Everyone. We are so blessed to have amazing parents, awesome sisters (including sister-in-law), a sweet smart niece, and two kids that have made my whole life...my world. They make me laugh and cry and I am so, so proud of them. Already! I absolutely adore them for who they are. At 2 and 4, I'm overwhelmed with my love for them and can't even imagine my pride and affection for them 5, 10, 20 years from now!

I am also reminded how very precious life is and how important each and every day is. My Aunt Mavis passed away on the 20th, her daughter Laurie's 50th birthday. She was diagnosed with melanoma years ago which was successfully treated, only to return about a year ago, so it was a painful and tough year for her and also her 4 daughters. I also watch my dad become more ill as the weeks pass, so that he can't really communicate by speech much at all anymore and his body is so stiff that it's really hard for him to move. I hate to see him like that and only hope he finds some joy in spending time with his family. I watch my mom spend most of her time caring for him, preparing his many medications and formulas and feeding him via a tube. Even little Brooke says things like, "I don't know what Morfar says" and "Morfar can't have dessert, he eats through his tube". It makes me realize how awesome the simple joys in our lives are and just how much I take for granted.

I don't mean to be really depressing here, I'm just vowing to myself to treasure each and every day, both with my dad, but also all my family and know that each day is a gift. Heck, I could be gone tomorrow let alone any one of them. And my kids WILL grow up, I noticed today how much more difficult it is to carry not only Ben but also Brooke anymore and how every week they do more on their own and I do less for them. Both a good and bad thing! Christmas won't always be this magical for them...that gets ruined as we grow up, but heck...maybe not...based on how much I love it! I love Christmas. I love my family. Thank you Jesus, for ALL of it.