Holy Days - 2009

Happy Holidays and New Year!

The holidays always seem to heighten my state of mind. During stressful times, the holidays have felt like a weight - on my shoulders, on my heart, on my mind. But during times of joy and peace, the holidays feel enriching and fill me with appreciation. This year has been the latter.

We started the holidays off with a great Thanksgiving week. Jason, the girls and I packed up our little wagon with luggage, (12hrs worth of) entertainment, our two dogs (a rat terrier and a pitbull) and ourselves. We hit the road in the early morning, to make it by dinner time in South Florida. We hadn't taken a road trip in a CAR in a long time. We are used to making lunch, going to the bathroom and doing Highlights activities while we travel. The girls, as always, handled the long car ride like champs.

We then spent a day driving by our childhood homes and the homes we owned. Our older girls had memories of these homes but our youngest didn't. This lead to all sorts of memories, within our family and as children ourselves. It's amazing how, throughout different times in your life, you revisit the same memories and you view them differently. Your perspective shifts and life experience whispers in your ear.

We then spent a few days of good, old-fashioned, quality time with both sides of the family. We soaked up hours of fun-loving entertainment, talking and hanging out with the nieces and nephews. When we left, some were in elementary school and now they're in middle and high school! The baby is now in kindergarten! We also spent time catching up with the adults and of course, enjoyed plenty of food and drink.

By the time the vacation was over, our hearts and car were bursting at the seams. We enjoyed our time there and are still talking about it. The time we spend bonding with the kids was immeasurable. We also spent most of a day outfitting our car with a roof rack and cargo container - just so we could get all of our stuff home.

Christmas this year was fun and quiet. The five of us spent the day opening presents, making food, and playing with all the new toys. Ahh, another year of precious memories!

The new year has begun with another level of appreciation for family and loved ones, friends new and old, and most of all my children. I've enjoyed reconnecting with so many people this holiday season. I appreciate the differences that we each bring to the table. And my perspective has changed so much in the past few years that I am able to cherish each moment without prejudice. I've learned to follow my heart, or listen to my gut, or whatever you want to call it when you start tuning out other peoples' opinions and knowing and doing what you think is best.

Of course, "absence makes the heart grow fonder". So I always find more reasons to appreciate the ones I love, when I don't see them every day. ;) On the other hand, I enjoy spending each and every day (24/7) with my girls. And although (I feel like) I appreciate them each day, I now realize, I have just touched the surface. Today, the girls left on a two+ week trip to FL with their grandparents. WOW - forget what I said about life experience being just a whisper, some times it's a yell, and you hope it doesn't become a scream. Either way, it only takes one moment for life to present an experience that shows you an even truer sense of appreciation.

So, thank you 2009 for all the life experiences that have brought me to this wonderful point in my life! And thank you all (whose life I've crossed paths with) for enriching my life!

..... to a new year!

Happy Travels!

D