The most precious gift of all

I don't have all that I want in this life but I have more than I need and I am so very grateful.  I have a roof over my head. I have a new car that keeps me safe on the road. I have food in my kitchen. I have clothes and shoes in my closet. I have a job that pays the bills and allows me to live pretty comfortably. I have a boss who not only appreciates me but who I am blessed to call my friend. I have my health. I have incredible parents who love me. I have the ultimate protector as my "son". I have a man who is deserving of my love and accepts me for who I am. I have a ton of friends and even more importantly, I have a handful of friends who mean enough to me to consider them family (more than most people with which I even share a bloodline).


I lost my grandmother, my ultimate source of lifelong unconditional love, two years ago. She was my best friend, my biggest fan, my sounding board, my partner in crime. I wanted for nothing when she was in my world and even when I didn't know I needed something she instantly provided it. I have so many tangible memories around my home that she provided to me over almost 40 years. However, meaning more to me than those items, is the time that we spent together. She wasn't a grandmother that I just saw on holidays and maybe a few times a year. She was a grandmother that I spent time with weekly and sometimes even daily when we lived five miles apart. We spent vacations together and every summer weekend together when I was a child.  While she did nothing short of spoiling me rotten and showering me gifts all year through, nothing could ever compare to the time that we spent together. The moments we shared - that's what meant the most to me and to this day I am so appreciative.

I lost my grandfather when I was 11 years old and while I often wonder how different my life would be had he been in it for a longer period of time, I know that my life was filled with abundant love and he had such an influence on who I would become. I received more love in those 11 years than some people do in a lifetime. While I still have many mementos from our time together, I cherish our moments together more than anything. If I could only be half as good of a person as he was, I'd be satisfied. He never met a stranger and was singing all the time. I like to think that I got my love of food and cooking from him. I always remember during the holidays when he dressed up like Santa Claus and came to my elementary school. He was the best Santa we'd ever seen and I felt like the luckiest girl alive because he was my Santa every day of the year; not just at Christmas. As a little girl, I would wake up Christmas morning to the sound of my grandfather,"Yoo hoo, Miss Bloo-hoo" and would jump out of bed and rush down the stairs into his arms. I had no idea until I was older that he and my grandmother would always come the night before. I also learned that he and Dad always enjoyed eating the cookies I left for Santa (washed down with a bourbon and water, of course).

I love making memories. I love taking photographs and capturing moments in time. I can look at a photograph and remember exactly how I felt at that exact moment no matter how long ago the photo was taken. Friends may get tired of me photographing everything in sight but they'll thank me one day.

As time goes on, I've found it's harder to get gifts that will be a surprise to my parents. I'm sure they feel the same about me. We tend to get whatever we want when we want it. There's nothing I "want" or "need" this year for Christmas. All I want is be with them. All I want is for them to be healthy and happy and to spend time with them - precious time with them. I want to enjoy delicious meals that we make together. I want to enjoy delicious wine that I have saved to share for a special occasion such as this one. I want to listen to music. I want to laugh. I want to smile. I want to just be. I want to just be happy with my people. I want to feel peace and joy and embrace the moment. Every single moment.

Hold your people tight. 

Times goes by so very fast.

 It feels like it was just yesterday that I was being held in my dad's arms as he had his arm around my mom and we stood in front of the Christmas tree at my grandparents house in Alexandria.

Of all the gifts I've been given over the years and for all the gifts that I may receive in the future, the gift of time is the most precious gift of all.

Merry Christmas!

Remember the real reason for the season and embrace every moment. You never know when that moment will turn into a special memory that you treasure for the rest of your life.