I am sitting on my mother-in-law’s screened patio in Florida. The wind is whipping through the palm tree in
front of me. I have been watching a pair
of sandhill cranes carefully, cautiously walk around the edge of the small
lake. Such beautiful, graceful
birds! I have resisted the urge to run
and get my camera. I am at peace simply
watching.
We arrived here a couple of days ago to visit my 93-year-old
mother-in-law. We haven’t done much but
that is okay because I am tired and still recovering from surgery. Today we went for a walk, yesterday we joined
others for lunch, and the day before we went to the pool. It’s enough.
Tonight, New Year’s Eve, the three of us plus my sister-in-law and her
boyfriend are going to the New Year’s Eve dinner and party for this retirement
community.
My husband and I spent Christmas at our older daughter’s house in North
Carolina, It was wonderful spending time
with her, our son-in-law, and our 15-month-old grandson. We also had the opportunity to be with our
younger daughter who lives close by. On
Christmas Day we were joined by our younger daughter’s boyfriend and our
son-in-law’s parents. We had a full
table. The highlight of our visit was
our grandson. It’s been a long time
since we’ve been around a small child at Christmas. What joy they bring! Of course, he is too young to understand
anything about Christmas yet but old enough to appreciated some of its
delights. One night we rode on a wagon
behind a tractor on a farm that had been converted to a huge light display that
turned on as we approached. The next
night we walked through a Chinese lantern event. These “lanterns” were wire sculptures of all
sizes covered with silk and lit from within.
Our grandson stared with wonder at these creations—we all did. His eyes were bright as he stared at all the
lights.
On Christmas Eve we attended a 7:00 p.m. worship service with our
daughter and family. The little guy was
dressed up in his suit and sat on his mother’s lap. He loves music so he clapped after each
musical number and even some scripture readings. Of course nobody else did. Occasionally he would add a loud laugh. He was clearly enjoying himself. Fortunately, the people around him turned and
smiled at him in amusement. Our grandson
was not interested in the minister’s sermon so he and mom left for a little
while. When we returned home and he was
ready for bed, we sat together in the rocker while I read “The Night Before
Christmas” to him from a book that belonged to my mother, published in 1932. This was special and the rest of the family watched,
Christmas Day was overwhelming for our grandson. He opened his stocking, took a nap, and his
other grandparents arrived. He had a
stack of presents larger than him but somehow he and his mom got through
them. Of course, nearly every toy makes
a noise these days. He learns quickly so
he was going between toys, turning one on then going to the next one. I am pleased that the little people airplane
I bought for him is his favorite. Needless
to say, with all these new things and a bunch of people around, our busy little
boy was tired and cranky at the end of the day.
Christmas overload!
Christmas in North Carolina was not relaxing but it was a lot of
fun. Today I am finally able to simply
relax in a nice warm climate. The
weather should be lovely for our last few days here before we have to return to
Idaho’s frigid weather. I hope to
continue my recuperation here, appreciating the climate, scenery, and
family. Hopefully I can return home with
a bit more energy, ready to tackle the new year.
