It's Dec 16th at 6:45 am. I'm sitting here with my tea and rice crispies listening to the quiet of the household and checking Facebook for updates from my youngest. She's on her way home for Xmas!
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Outside is still darkness interspersed by a few Xmas lights; soooo pretty! And it only adds to my sense of joy and excitement. My baby will be home soon!
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Soon Libby's laughter will ring through the house! Soon, there'll be lots of hugs and kisses (she's very affectionate). Soon, there'll be non-stop talking at the dinner table. Soon, there'll be more dirty glasses and bowls than I thought possible! And yes, because we are so much alike, soon, there'll be minor squabbles and bickerings that will be forgiven and forgotten almost as quickly as they started.
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I've been thinking about that here in the dark and the quiet: about how we love them so deeply and ache to have them near and pine for the days when they were younger and the house was full of them and get so excited at the prospect of seeing them again! But after they're here for a few days, we find ourselves thinking about when they'll leave and we can return to the "NEW normal" we'd come to know while they were gone. And there's this little struggle that happens inside between wanting them near and wanting them gone. We are such strange creatures.
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But because I've lived a few years on this earth, I know that life is constantly changing and there really is no "normal". There is just grabbing the joy that comes your way and running with it for as long as possible.
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Besides Xmas here hasn't been "normal" for a lot of years. The faces and the numbers at my Xmas table are always changing. My tall, slender, creative daughter is not coming home this year :( And my little almond-eyed beauty with the wonderful sense of humor leaves today for Xmas in Korea.
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So I gladly welcome my loud, messy, affectionate daughter and her intrusion into life here at our little home. She can join the nerdy, introverted, messy daughter downstairs, the soft-spoken, messy Brazilian daughter upstairs, and the long-suffering, outspoken, nut-case of a mother who tries to keep this all together.
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.FAMILY! There's no telling what it will look like; but ain't it grand!
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9 comments:
I was just having a lot of the same thoughts. Things constantly change here too. We just have to savor the moments as they come. Hope your Friday is a fantastic one!
Enjoy your time with your daughter, Sandy :)
And I love that you see joy in the minute - very Zen-like.
So familiar, all your thoughts and sentiments.
We love to see them arrive but by the time they leave we always breathe a sigh of relief.
What's that about? I think we forget about all the work involved with having the "kids" home.
However I wouldn't have it any other way.
Miss the grandbabies when they are gone. Though none are babies now. Our youngest is six and so much fun to be around.
Have a great holiday and just remember through it all that silence and order will return when they/she leaves. God bless.
Geezzz, I thought I was the only one who thought like that. You miss them so much, wonder what's wrong with us that they never come to visit. But when they're here, after a few hours, it's like "ok, you can go home now. Thanks for visiting". You know what they say: "you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family". Just gotta love 'em!! Have a very Merry Christmas with them all!
My son (who lives across the street) informed us that "their doors would open at 6 PM for visitors"... my daughter is going to her in-laws Christmas am...guess Hubs and I will pick up an invalid friend and take him to my father's at the 'home' and visit for a while...hope the invalid friend is up to it...gotta do something; can't just sit and watch parades all day...
Oh, I understand your feelings for sure. And I know your heart's so excited for her to come home for a visit. I hope it is wonderful with new memories made. Have fun!
Your thinking in the dark paragraph almost makes me cry. I find the same thing with my kids except they don't come home very much anymore as they are both far away.
So reflective. So honest. Find the happiness in each moment and savor this visit with your daughter. Life is in a constant state of flux. Never know what's around the next bend. Take care.
Yep, just grand and it just doesn't get any better that this!!!
We are blessed!
Have a bright and beautiful weekend my friend!!! :o)
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