recovery

Winston-Salem, NC

The day after Christmas celebration with my aging aunt Kathleen and my cousins and cousins' children and grandchildren. A house full of around 18-20 for the most delicious collection of pot-luck food. Stockings being unstuffed, presents opened, the game David and I learned at the Rebel Marina last week. More food. Lots of conversation. Squeals of the two young children who were here. They, and the young ones who came to visit this morning were VERY respectful of Amelia and petted her gently, according to my instructions. Today, however, Amelia is sleeping off the stress of so many legs and so much activity (petting included). Good thing she is mostly deaf.

I opened the 1000 piece puzzle one of my cousins got for Christmas, set up the card table and went at it last night after everyone had left. Amelia was sitting on David's lap when, suddenly, she leapt from his lap and ran to the door. Not reindeer she heard but a mouse in the house. She has not moved that fast in several years. She stood watch by the door for nearly an hour. Maybe all that exercise is what she is sleeping off today. Ironically, this morning aunt Kathleen dumped the dishwater and, wait for it, a drowned mouse. Sent the photo to Sharyl who hates mice and was sooooo thankful we'd shared.

The two young boys who visited this morning wanted to pet Amelia AND touch the dead mouse. Okay, and now we'll all go wash your hands with vigor. I'm sticking my tongue out as if "urp."

A family tradition in this household is to make a birthday cake for Jesus. I made the cake using aunt Kathleen's recipe which she has amended in other colors of ink. Nevertheless, the cake was cake-like and decent enough to eat. I'm confident Jesus was pleased enough with my effort. David helped with the decorating and we had some silliness with the icing.

          Aaarrgh! I can't get these photos to line up the way I want. Oh well.

After that silliness there were some delightful family photos, too. A couple of favorites: Shelby, below, and Turner and their dad,
Bradley, are Stephanie's family.  

Aunt Kathleen and evil (looking) John, husband of cousin Kay, below. Cousins Cheryl, Dale and various adult children and grandchildren are not shown, though they were very present and so well loved.

As cousin Cheryl was leaving she remarked, "oh no, we didn't even get to talk about books!"  We quickly exchanged most recent favorite titles - The color of Water from her and I gave her my Mary Snell gift, All the Light We cannot see, which I finished a couple days ago. Delicious book in both content and form.

Our holidays have been so filled with love and good fellowship and companionship...and food. We are/I am so very blessed to be a part of this family. I'm an only child but, my goodness, don't I have a huge family! Yes!! And there is my family of chosen friends and my Webster/Garrity/Ryan family in Maine. Such luck. Such Love.

Tomorrow David, Amelia, and I head back to Grace in Norfolk to see what headway and good decisions we can make about our ambitions to get to the Bahamas. Whatever we decide and/or fate chooses, LOVE WINS.