-Rishika Jain
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories."
-Stanislaus Lec
"Count your blessings, not your burdens."
-William Arthur Ward
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Here is a picture from Christmas of 1986 My Mom and Dad looking so happy after opening another little piano for one of their many collections they had! This is just how I remember them and how they live on in my heart! SUCH SPECIAL PEOPLE |
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Another SPECIAL little memory... This was my kids at Colin's Kindergarten Christmas concert in 1983. COLIN was so proud to sing his little "HURRY HURRY to the MANGER" song in his little crown! I made Jana's outfit... which later became a Strawberry Shortcake dress for Halloweeen the following year! |
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Here I am on thursday with my two very SPECIAL grandkids Beau and Mariah in their cozy snowman jammies, all ready for a little sleepover! |
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Mariah enjoying a special time with her poppa by the Christmas Tree eating ice cream and watching special shows on TV, Thursday night. |
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The kids coloring and having fun sharing special times together! |
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Beau enjoying some of the special Christmas stuff by the fireplace! |
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Mariah got too hot in the red jammies so made a change into some cooler ones! Here she is making a little set up with some of the special Christmas ornaments, with Beau ready to join in!! |
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I told Mariah her jammies matched her nice blue eyes, and she decided to add the sparkly Santa hat for a little photo! |
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Beau is entertained by this special little AVON snowman musical ornament here! |
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Friday morning the kids getting more enjoyment out of the little toys from our past ... and the special memories live on! |
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My father-in-law, Greg, popped by yesterday morning, Another special photo opportunity for Mariah and her Great Grandpa! In the rush of the season it is sometimes hard to put the important things first... but it sure helps when we remember the SPECIAL!!! This morning my oatmeal package said this for the happy heart tip of the day... "Simplify your life... Prioritize what matters most." I have to admit, I have been feeling somewhat different leading up to Christmas this year... and I am not really sure why. I still love the festive music and the decor and love to wrap up gifts to make them all look SPECIAL... but lately something is missing. OK... well my parents are, but my dad has been gone now since January of 2000, and mom since October of 2010. I do miss them and especially at this time of year! Today I got to thinking of some SPECIAL memories of my Christmases gone by. I started looking through photo albums, and the memories of years ago flooded my head. I loved how we did so much as a family, and how important doing it together was. I guess I am missing that a bit. My mom and dad used to put up their tree together always... while making nuts and bolts. They wrapped their gifts together, too... mom usually wrapped and dad printed out the tags in his wonderful hand writing. They were such a team! Lots of thought went into everything. I loved my stocking as a little girl growing up. We would hang them at the end of our beds, and in the wee hours of the morning my brothers and I would meet in the bathroom and sit by the hot air register to keep warm and compare our stocking treasures! I remember helping my dad do his shopping for mom and then helping to wrap it up for him too. That was such a special little tradition we shared together. Mom and I used to enjoy shopping together as well... with her pointing out the things she liked and me showing her what I liked too... then our hint dropping all came alive Christmas morning!!! hehehe I really have so many memories and they live on through photos, as well as in my mind and my heart. I remember another special Christmas memory for me was when Jana was doing one of her Tokyo Disney contracts in 2003. On Christmas Eve day, I received a package in the mail... I opened it up to find that Jana had filled a stocking for me with all sorts of cute little things from Tokyo! I loved that memory... it was so special and came so unexpected, too! That was so sweet and thoughtful of her. Another special memory was Christmas of 2007. December 23rd late evening we got a call from the airport that Colin had flown home to surprise us! It was so unexpected, but so very special and appreciated. (That is the last time he was with us at Christmas time... and may be the last one, too, as it is really not his thing!... So I will cherish that memory forever) I have been blessed with many special gifts over my years... and lots of love from friends and family along the way. It reminds me just how SPECIAL Christmas really is. Last year I received a neckalce with the word "DREAM" on it from my hubby, Brian for Christmas... which is a perfect word to describe how my life has had so many DREAMS come true in it along the way.... with him being one of the best ones for sure! Now with Grandkids in my life, Christmas will definitely be special and fun... and full of more DREAMS come true! I truly am blessed to be able to be a big part of their lives and they are certainly a big part of our lives, too! They are the twinkles in their Grandpa Brian's eyes... there isn't a more proud grandpa than him! I love to watch his pride... to us those kids are super special in every way! We shared some special times with them on Thursday as they had a sleepover here... however between the two of them and me, we didn't get as much sleep as I might have liked! hehehe... but more special memories were chalked up once again! I missed some special family birthdays this past week... first of all HAPPY BE-LATED 70th to my cousin DAVID on the 14th... and my cousin BEV'S Husband, Bob, celebrated a birthday, too, on the 15th. Tonight I get to celebrate another family Christmas... it is the traditional BSOBAD DANCE FAMILY Staff Party... so more SPECIAL memories will be made I am sure! On that note... here is my poem of the day! Each year it's hectic, come December, But it helps so much to just remember... All the special little things, Along the way this season brings. Remembering SPECIAL from years of the past, Helps to make the memories last. Revisiting photos from times gone by, Reminds of all the reasons why, Christmas truly should give us a lift, And not because of each present or gift. It's to dream and think of the ones who cared. And family times that we all shared. Memories of the things to bring out the love, And to cherish our dear ones here and above! |
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