This One Goes Out To the Ones I Love

Much to my great heartbreak, the weather prevented us from visiting my family on Christmas Day. There have only been one or two other times in my whole life that I was not home for Christmas. It was hard. Christmas means a lot to my family. I love Christmas. And it is one of the very few times each year that we are all together.

But we awoke to clear skies and bright sunshine on the day after Christmas, which is my little sister's birthday (and thus it is also known as Julie Day). It was very, very cold, but the roads were fine. And so we packed the chocolate chip cookies and the gift bags and our selves into my Mazda and took off for home.

We arrived in time for lunch, which is typically chicken and waffles and gravy. Much to my surprise and delight, there was also leftover stuffing. My mom's stuffing - bread crumbs fried in butter in a pan on top of the stove, seasoned with celery salt, dampened with milk, followed by more frying - is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. Sides included homemade apple sauce and pickled eggs. Delicious! (Yes, I had seconds.)

After lunch, we sat in the living room around the Christmas tree and I handed out gifts. Some puzzles for my dad, bought at the Boalsburg Arts Fest in summertime. Copies of my latest photo book (book #30, Penn State) for my mom and oldest sister. Gift bags for all the families. Gift cards for the kids. A birthday gift bag for my little sister (happy birthday, dear sister - do you know how much I love you and how proud I am of you?).

I snagged a few pictures of my family as we sat in the sunny living room on this day. Above you may see a photo of my Dad on the right; and on the left, my oldest sister Barb, some of whose story you have heard. She became very sick in 2015 and landed in the hospital, where the doctors informed us she was dying and probably wouldn't get any more Christmases.

But then she was miracled back into sweet life, and I got to keep my sister. And she recovered and we got to go on trips together again, and do all the things that sisters ought to do. Like love each other to bits, and do fun stuff together (like laughing), and not question it when grace throws you a miracle! And to be grateful for the ones you love, every single day.

Ever since she got sick, and then better, my sister signs her emails "I Love You to the Moon and Back." And we say it back. And so, I bought a small wooden plaque for her to hang on the wall that says just those words. A little something to remind her: Love never gives up, love never ends.

So that was what was going on on the one couch in the living room. On the other couch sat my husband and my Mom. My Mom, by the way, came into the room with one of the biggest of my chocolate chip cookies clutched in her fist and a huge grin on her face. She should have taken a smaller one, she said, but THIS was the one she wanted! ;-)

We were sitting together and talking, and my husband and I were getting ready to take our leave of them when I pulled the camera out. He put his arm around my Mom and I snapped a few shots. I giggled to see the difference in their sizes: my big husband and my tiny Mom. You may also enjoy that photo in the extras. :-) I smile every time I look at it. :-) (My Mom, by the way, is wearing her festive Snoopy's Christmas apron, though you can't really see that in this shot.)

So here are just two pictures of some of the members of my family (although, alas, not ALL of them), the ones I love best in the whole wide world, at Christmas, one of my favorite times of year. I have put them here to keep them safe. And to remind me that of all these things that remain, the greatest of these is love.

Always choose love.

So this one goes out to the ones I love. The song, I bet you guessed: R.E.M, with The One I Love. I'm also including a wonderful cover by Sugarland.