Holiday Times are Here

After reading Kim's blog and listening to her Christmas Music I really began to realize that "yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" and all of the other things that signify the beginning of the Holiday Season. Hooray, for tradition and life and love and family at this time of the year.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and because of the unusual circumstances of this year the tradition part was not observed, but the part of life and love and even death was observed. The circumstances started with my handicapped situation of having only one arm that is strong and well and was not sufficient for cooking. Cracker Barrel was the answer to that and it was a good decision. We had all of the usual Thanksgiving fare and it was wonderful. Our life went on with our gathering as usual and the love that was there was evident on everybody's face and in their speech to each other. So that accounts for tradition, life and love. The death of Ray's brother, Ned Maddux, at 9:49 last night was a bittersweet occurrence. He was so sick and God delivered him from his ill health and pain into a land of no pain, no tears, just love and peace. I will miss Ned - his mischievous eyes, his teasing ways but most of all his sweet, sweet smile and kind expressions of love when I would see him after an absence of some time.

With the exit of Ned Maddux from the world came the entrance of Will Carter Routh to Emily and Jackson on Wednesday. What a glorious praise is he - a perfect child - small in size but healthy and ready to be loved and cared for by two wonderful parents and two siblings that were dressed in "I'm the Big Sister" and "I'm the Big Brother" shirts. The entire family gave thanks for Will Carter yesterday.

Christmas will be here soon. The music, the decorations, the hustle and bustle of the season, the fun parties that I am invited to attend make for a happy time. I love the season. It will be so much fun when we gather for Christmas and all of the family will be under one roof singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas". What a blessing to celebrate the birth of our Savior and to stop all of the stress of our everyday lives and for just a few hours express love and concern for those that mean the most to us.