My home was filled with folks I love. paphiglio, damonk, MBE, and C.E....if your on this site I don't know your moniker... and of course my fiance. Movies food crafts and contentment. The joy that rolls on ya slowly and lingers sweetly.

Such a good day. And I was in my pjs in the comfort of my own bed for most of it.

how wonderful delightful the kitchen smells
how my friends won't let me spend this holiday alone (family being spread too far to travel) .. friends that look out for me and go out of their way to watch over me.
through a year of hardships, I can sit here counting my blessings and knowing I haven't gone without even when things seemed very thin...
feeling of contentment that when I return home, I'm returning to a deep bond that has brought me much joy.
Shared respect
looking forward ...moving forward

my 5 year olds face when talking about Santa..

I just found out that my building will be open tomorrow so I get to work, whoo hooo!!!

I really don't like Christmas and usually I am either stuck in the house feeling crappy, or at someone's house pretending to be cheerful and feeling like that smile is gonna crack and cut a bitch.

Tomorrow I get to work alone in my office. I have a huge pile of work to do, no one to bother me, no one to have to have fucking Christmas spirit for, just me and my work. I am gonna wear comfortable clothes, and bring a fantastic lunch and listen to music not on my head phones but playing out loud from my computer. It is gonna be a great day tomorrow!!!
I swear I am mentally skipping with little jewel encrusted flower covered skulls floating around my head over this.

Visiting my youngest son at Easter Seals, seeing how big and tall he's getting after being underweight and extremely short for most of his life. Watching him play with his brother and sister and his toys.

The feeling that even after a heinous year that brought all of us troubles, that we made it better and stronger than last year, and we are all together.

My daughter...
 

...is a manager for a local pizza place. Earlier today she needed to help some of the folks making pizza deliveries because apparently in our city no one cooks on Christmas Eve.

She was quite irate that she had to take a large delivery to a section of our national state park on this wet, windy, gloomy day. She texted me to make sure I was aware of her feelings about this.

About 45 minutes later she calls me while I am working (she knows not to do this unless she is bleeding to death or she is dead). I answered the phone and all I heard was sobbing. I collected my composure (I was in a room with a patient who was getting chest compressions as he was dying). Finally, she said, "Mom, I pulled up by the amphitheater at the park...a little boy (about 6 years old) came running to my car...I thought he was flagging me down for the delivery. He shouted, "I have got to tell you somethin', lady...it is the best Christmas EVER....I got adopted today!"

She could barely find the folks who ordered the pizzas through her tears.

I had to take a step back from the bed of my patient as I watched the nurses try and restore life to him to no avail. I decided to share this phone call with this elite medical team. As this young man entered a new plane through his transition, this young boy has been given a new life with a loving and warm family.

Miracles happen.

Merry Christmas.

building the riding rocking horse for the boy's xmas morning

sitting back in my chair and enjoying my Christmas tree...with the dogs at my feet all curled up and content. I felt at peace.

Italian fish night. Best thing about Christmas eve!

It's snowing in New England! Already an inch on the ground here. It will be nice and pretty tomorrow... and should be all melted and gone by the evening so I can safely drive back home. Double score.

Assembling the aluminum tree that was my beloved Granny's, and which was the tree I remember from my first Christmases at her house back in the very early 60's, so that my grandchildren could have a Christmas tree in this year of so many upheavals for them, since they just finally moved out of my house with my ex and their mom, who couldn't be bothered finding even just the pull-out-of-the-box-and-it's-done tree for them. So it was first out of frustration that I decided to put this up -- me, who is religiously Jewish though culturally Christian, celebrating this as a secular holiday with Pagan roots -- but now it's with joy: I'm finally back in my home, after months of being disconnected or absent from it. My beloved grandchildren will be here tomorrow to celebrate with me under a tree that my gifts were under at their great-great-grandmother's house over 50 years ago. I have almost two weeks now to get my house in order and reclaim my life in this house. Despite all of its challenges, life is GOOD.

Standing in the kitchen, listening to Bear mumble about his recipe.... And looks up and at me... We both look down.

Her royal highness, the holy terror, Peppa, is howling her protest that she was in bed.

What brought me joy....
 

the scene: My apt. in the woods of dutchess county, ny, a 3 bay window that looks out into a forest...

action: waking up in the dark, sitting on my couch with coffee in hand and watching as the light of the approaching Christmas morning reveals the snow from the night before on the branches of the trees and hearing the sounds of cardinals singing in the background.

I truly am lucky to be alive!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Watching little ones open up gifts. Best Christmas preset ever.

Seeing the look of awe on the Moopster's face when her Mom gave her the new HD tv she got her for Christmas :)

This moment, right here... Just me and my kids, watching them enjoy all the new things they got for Christmas and just staying out of their way.... they are my joy, every day!

Stumbling out of bed. Going outside. Him immediately giving me his coat and zipping it up. Beater with frosting on it offered, and no bake cookies. Texts received. Homemade cinnamon rolls and eggs florentine.

The gift from my niece Carly. She is blind and profoundly mentally challenged. She goes to a "special" school. Her school has a gift shop that the kids get to go and pick out xmas gifts for their family. The teacher has a list of names for each student and one by one they go to the gift store and chose the gift they want to give the people on their lists. This year for me she choose a paper weight. A white carved stone with a hummingbird painted on it. It is so cool !!!! I love hummingbirds. I always wonder what makes her chose the gifts she does. It is my favorite gift I received this year !!!!!!!!!
It looks awesome on my desk!!! Everytime I look at it , it makes me smile.

She did...

Teaching my daughter how to embroider a pillowcase. Like my mother used to do a lot of handsewing, so I am getting back to it and I wanted something to share with a sometimes surly teenager. It was so fun :).