It’s 4am… tonight will be Christmas eve… I am sitting up writing this in the middle of the living room, surrounded by aunts and nephews and family, four generations, all sleeping and snoring and rustling and billowing…. my sister’s place has become the safe house or landing spot, pit stop for everyone coming into town. It is sort of like The Buckets in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory now, with everyone crammed into the same room, decked out all over the floor (but not in the same bed). My mom’s two sisters just pulled in from their long, all night drive, and before they could get to sleep, everyone gabbed and caught up and laughed and laughed… such beautiful music to hear…

We’ve tallied up quite a few health issues in the family this year. It’s the time of the life season, I guess. Despite how broken and physically crumbling we seem to be, it is still the best Christmas ever… I keep getting interrupted in my thoughts, right now, by the snorting or tearful moaning of pain or someone’s scary dream… then a brief moment of still silence… then back to the farm animal noises… so precious and sweet.

Each year is another lucky gift. We’re living it. Right now. Every day. I keep thinking this might be the last Christmas with the entire family intact… and just how super lucky we are. Merry Christmas.