Merry

The best things in life are free. To whit:

Q has enjoyed playing with toys he can reach out and grab for the last couple of days now. Awesome.

Hugs from my kids. (Only two more days 'til they're back.)

Storytime, singing, playing, learning with my kids.

The smell of that smooth little baby neck.

Laundry, fluffy and warm from the dryer.

A shiny clean bathroom.

Raking up storm debris in crisp December air.

A sunny Christmas. (Yep, you read right. It's sunny.)

Two working hands for typing, making breakfast, hair brushing, back scratching, playing piano, changing diapers, holding books and turning pages, folding clothes, making beds.

The ability to think. And then, to understand.

Light switches which work, because linemen from all over the country have been cold and tired and working themselves nearly to death in these parts for the last week and a half. (Three cheers for these guys--as part of the 1.5 million local customers who've benefitted from your efforts, thank you, thank you to you and your families.)

The company of kindness. Whether it be familiars or folks met in line at Target, I find myself constantly running into people going out of their way to just be kind. Perhaps they've spotted the sign on my forehead, the one that reads: FRAGILE (Be nice to her or her head will explode. We're not kidding.) Whatever the case, these exchanges are an active blessing.

The opportunity to wish you all a very Merry, very peaceful, perhaps even blissfully calm, Christmas day. Whatever your faith, may your day be warm with love, rich with belly laughter, may you be well-fed and cozy, reveling in the gifts of your life.

Joyeux.