Christmas 2010

This has been a very memorable Christmas for so many reasons. Sharon came in town 5 days early and happened to get very sick with Influenza type A. She had to be quarantined for the whole time leading up to Christmas eve. This year was especially hard around the holidays. Tim is in the middle of a divorce and it is painful to be around Tim and have him hurting so much inside. Tim is our happy go lucky guy...always a party. He has his ups and downs but I know it will be very difficult around the holidays. I also know that mom and dad are not getting any younger. I try to really hold on tight to special moments with them because I always keep it in the back of my mind that it might be the last Christmas with them. That is why I will remember this as being one of my favorite. A snow storm hit Christmas eve and dumped about 5 inches of snow on us. Mom and Dad spent the night and were able to wake up on Christmas morning with all 4 girls and our families. Very special and I am so grateful to God for the opportunity. 7 months ago when Dad was in the hospital recovering from kidney cancer surgery, I remember thinking..."he might just not recover from this." How many lives can one person have? For dad, that number is definately nearing 9. Many friends have lost their parents and I do not take a minute for granted.
Another reason this Christmas is so special is that Sharon brought Eric in for their first holiday in st. louis. The excitement between them is contagious and there is no one on earth that deserves the happiness she has found more that her. To welcome Eric into the family, Jackie bought him a t-shirt that says "yes, dear" to match the ones she bought for scott, brett and dan two years ago. When he opened it up, the other 3 peeled off their overshirts to reveal their own "yes, dear" shirts. We are all so excited for what the new year has in store for the two of them.
I am also so excited for my nephew TJ. He graduated a semester early and got a great job in Texas. He left town yesterday to start his new life. Us four girls took him to fast eddies to both celebrate his 21st bday and to send him off with the best advice we could give him. I pray that he stays close to his values and lives to his potential. That kid means so much to me. I have been there for every milestone since he was born and I just can't believe that he is on his own.
So I am thankful for the wonder that the Christmas season brought this year. Having my family in good health and all here made it a very memorable time.