A Few of My Favorite Christmas Day Things…

A Few of My Favorite Christmas Day Things…

1. Realizing dinner did come together despite all the cooking catastrophes. 

2.   My daughter-in-law joyfully putting on her apron and plunging into the after dinner mess.  

3.      Whipped cream on the laughing faces of after-dinner game players (Jolene, you were adorable with whipped cream on your nose, and your sneakiness will live in the “Berg Legends” forever).

4.      The Christmas Story read to the background music, “Let It Go, let it gooooo….” (thank you Mila and Elsa).

5.      Knowing my 7-year-old grandson will choose me when picking a team (thanks, Julian, for believing me when I said, “I am not a spy!”). 

6.      Commiserating with my 5-year-old grandson (Me: Miles, I didn’t get my kitten.  Miles: I didn’t get my bunny either. Miles and Grandma frown in silence. Miles brightens:  Maybe next year you’ll get a bunny and I’ll get a kitten! Grandma brightens: Maybe!) Christmas hope springs eternal.

7.      Truly, holding on to her highchair tray in anticipation of something yummy.

8.      Visitors who bring the chill of the evening, the crisp smell of out of doors and the family dog for a Christmas visit (Masha, Jon, Ethan, Kelly, Wesley and Clancy, it was so wonderful that your Christmas trek included at stop at our home. We hope you found it warm and welcoming.)

9.      A sweet 3-year-old who asks for a nap at 8:00 in the evening (Grandpas and little boys need naps at odd times to keep from being grumpy).

10.   Seeing my youngest son on one knee, asking a beautiful young woman to “share all of his Christmases.” (Congrats to you, TJ and Brooke, may this be the first of many memorable Christmases together).

There are so many more happy moments that are now Christmas 2015 memories. Every person in my family has helped to make my heart full. I have so much to be grateful for.

One More List

My last post was part of an assignment for my creative writing class. I had written two Harper's lists and selected one to submit to the professor. This is the list I submitted.

When reviewing what I have written in the past, I find it sometimes catches me off guard and I can't believe I was so transparent. Not a bad thing, I suppose, just startling.

Things the social worker taught me:

·         Foster children do not trust easily. Patience is a must.

·         The stipend won’t cover the cost of keeping the child, you will not become rich as a foster parent.

·         You will cry when some children leave, dance when others go.

·         Give it time.

Things the social worker never taught me:

·         Children don’t remain strangers for long. They grab your heart very quickly.

·         Foster parents are often thought of as “bad guys.”

·         A child needs you to say “I love you,” until it is true.

·         Just about the time you have bonded with a child, they will be moved.

·         It doesn’t matter if you know a child better than anyone else, no one will listen to your opinion of what is best for them.

·         The state will not pay for a casket upgrade. You are not allowed to pay for a casket upgrade. You have no say as to where that child will be laid to rest. Sometimes it is on the rocks of a lonely Island in the Bering Strait. Some people will not understand your grief, after all, he was only a foster child.

·         There will come a time when a child goes and you know that if you give one more child away, your heart will be irrevocably broken. You have said goodbye for the last time.

Things My Mother Taught Me

 Masha and I were just talking about how fun it is to make lists and how we were going to journal more lists this year. 

A writing assignment from my Creative Writing Workshop asked us to write a list of things a significant person your life has taught you and didn't teach you. It was interesting how most of the students wrote about parents.

As I wrote these things down, I tried to remember if my mother actually said these things to me or if they are a figment of my imagination. I realized although she may not of voiced them as you see them here, they were taught by her parenting and how she lived her life. 

Things my mother taught me

·         Telling the truth doesn’t mean telling everything you know.

·         When reading Dickens, don’t give up. It will make sense eventually.

·         When two people are in a relationship, one usually loves more than the other.

·         The dishes aren’t done until the floor is swept.

·         How you treat old people when you are young is how you will be treated when you are old.

·         There are worse things than being alone, for example: being alone without reading material.

·         Pasta, potatoes or bread with plenty of butter can cure almost anything.

·         The same people who love you fat, will love you skinny, and then fat again.

·         When the time comes to die, you don’t have to be afraid, death is not the enemy and heaven is not some far off place, it is only one breath, one heartbeat away. There will always be someone waiting to welcome you, and for you, it will be me.

Things my mother didn’t teach me

·         That you will believe you are dying each time you give birth, and that same feeling will reoccur when your baby goes to kindergarten, walks down the aisle or is rushed to emergency surgery.

·         That laundry mountains can never be summited. Ever.

·         That sleeping opposite a cold shoulder is lonelier than sleeping alone.

·         The only thing sweeter than your baby’s kisses are your grandbaby’s kisses.

·         Calories get bigger as you get older.

·         Becoming who you were created to be is between you and God, and you may have to ask some folks to kindly butt out. A home and family is a good thing, but it’s not always enough. Don’t be afraid to wear red shoes, turn the car radio up, roll the windows down, and let your purple hair blow in the wind.

·         Learn something new, travel, and take good care of yourself.

·         Treat your sisters gently, you will need them when you're grown..

 

I would love to see some of your lists!