Hello Everyone, hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Hope you were able to gather with family and friends, share time with those here and think about those that have passed on.
My holiday started Wednesday night. We went to the New Dawn Memory Care Center in Aurora. We went to see my Mother-in-law's partner, and share Thanksgiving dinner with him and the other patients. Let me say a couple things, first, Alzheimer's really stinks. Plain and simple. Those sweet patients at the center had a good time, as did we, but watching the affects of a debilitating disease like this is so hard on everyone. Secondly, I would like to say that the staff at New Dawn do a great job, and really care about their patients. Thanks to all of you.
On Thursday, we went to eat at a local restaurant, and it went great until Keara found a bug, still alive, swimming and wriggling in the ranch dressing of her salad. There is no quicker way to stop an entire table of people from eating salad. Needless to say the appetites of many at the table went away, but we got a cool story out of it.
On Friday, when Corey got off work, we all crammed into the CR-V and headed to Brush to spend the night with the parents. Had a great time, ate a lot, and lost a few bucks playing cards and dice. But now to the point of this entry, I will call it our first Christmas miracle of 2010.
My parents had warned me over the last week or so that they were going to pare down the festivities this holiday season, and I was fine with that. We have spent the last couple years, kind of getting together the weekend after Thanksgiving and Christmas, this makes it possible for my sons and step-daughter to share the holiday "day" with their Mom and Dad respectively. And to be honest, it is kind of nice to not have to run around and eat 2 or 3 meals all in one day, and spread it out over a few days. With the economy clobbering all of us we decided to draw names instead of buying for everyone, I am fine with this too. Mom and Dad are butting heads about sending out Christmas cards this year, a battle I won't get in the middle of, I will let them argue about it, Mom will fill out the cards and send them, and Dad will just have to go along with it. But there was something that didn't sit right with My son's Joey and Corey. Mom and Dad decided they were just going to put up a small tree and not the one they had put up in the past. Mom said there was no reason to climb up and get all the stuff out, it was just too much of a hassle.
Joey, Corey, and my Dad went out to the garage and got everything down after the boys agreed to set it all up, and be part of the post-holiday tear down crew. So here is where the cool part comes in, we spent the next hour or two, first watching Joey work very hard putting up the tree, and stringing the lights, then seeing the happiness on Mom and Dad's faces as the ornaments were taken out, unwrapped, and hung on the tree. There were many special ones, some that had Joey and Corey's pictures on them, there were some that my ex-Mother-in-law had crocheted, and there were even a few that hung on my parent's first tree over 50 years ago. Watching my Mom's face as these came out was priceless and is a big part of what the holiday's are about. Corey even hung an ornament on my Mom's wheelchair, and she said she will keep it there for the season. It is amazing to me how that box of memories that now hangs on the tree helped set the tone for the holiday season, I am so glad the boys pushed the issue, it made it great for all involved.
I hope you all can share moments like this over this holiday season, or can find some memories of holidays past that make you feel warm inside. I will close for now, because I know it is dragging on, take care till next time.
Peace,
Woody
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