The day after.....

The day after, some of our sinks are full of dishes, some of our floors are still covered in wrapping paper, some of us have returned to our careers. I'm sitting back in my easy chair, writing this blog, and looking at my still glowing Christmas tree and wondering how long this feeling is going to last. You know the feeling, the satisfaction that everything went smoothly on Christmas day, Santa's gifts were a success (for those of you with kidlets), your Uncle Lou didn't get drunk and knock over the Christmas tree, and your dinner table resembled a photo shoot of Better Homes and Gardens.... the best part is, you're still standing and haven't been committed to the local laughing academy. For me, Christmas is a four day event.... our church has this wonderful live Nativity with actors and animals and potluck dishes three days leading up to Christmas. My husband is the 'backstage' coordinator which means we have to be at the church every night by 5 PM  so everything Christmas (wrapping, shipping and last minute shopping) has to be done by 4.... Yes, I'm one of those people... the time keeper. It's the Navy in me. I don't have children, so that's something I personally don't have to deal with. Kids are a huge part of Christmas... I have 4 nieces and 4 nephews, half of them are grown, but still, I've seen how much Christmas revolves around them. Just as it revolved around my siblings and I way back then. It's just my husband and I and his cousin's and aunt for Christmas, unless we travel to Idaho (his brother and family there) or all the way cross country to Florida to my family... which we are doing this summer... We usually do Christmas at David's cousin's place up the hill as he has kids, although they are well past the 'Santa' age', and this year it was so very nice. We all gathered around this ginormous puzzle of the State of California map and spent most of the day chatting away about this and that after opening our gifts. For me, it was good to be present. My health the past couple of years has either had me in the hospital, or so medicated I would spend Christmas day sleeping on the couch. Not this year, I was present, and my heart was full to be there with family. 

So now the day after it's quiet. My husband has returned to work, I got to sleep in. I have to finish laundry and do some research for Sacred Spaces starting in January on the 5th. But for the next few minutes I'm going to just bask in the light of my Christmas tree...and try to take the light of my God out into the world.

Blessings...

Kimberly