MERRY CHRISTMAS!  And it WAS Merry…our new normal doesn’t always let us recognize the  abundance of our blessings because we, perhaps, only feel what we are missing….waking up together in our home, Stuva and I drinking coffee and enjoying the quiet because the three teenagers upstairs now put more importance on sleep than seeing what Santa brought.  When, finally the time arrives to gather there’d be no rush; we go slow in our house, we take time to unwrap properly and let the gift soak in and give gratitude for it.  At some point we’d pause for brunch and then reconvene before hosting Christmas dinner, playing games and tucking in for sleep again.

But this morning the big boys and I were separated from Stuva and Will by the miles between our home and our new “home-away-from-home”, Children’s Hospital.  We loaded up the car and didn’t feel complete until we got there.  Our day was still festive, Will’s room filled with family popping in and out, laughter and love and wrapping paper piles and all the vestiges of a day well spent undoing all the doing that goes in to making Christmas feel merry.  Of course, we all silently recognized that behind all of this is a very sick boy who is in the fight of his life so we took the gift of a a little levity, a wheelchair trip down to the atrium (first time he’s left his room save for a procedure), the fact that he is off of oxygen and we savored it and let it fill us with true gratitude for each moment.

We hope each of you discovered the true gifts of your Christmas day and we send much love out to each and every one of you.