Tuesday, December 29, 2020- 

                                        Friday, January 1, 2021!

Dear Marion,

  Joy. This week has brought unexpected Joy in little things at random unexpected moments. What has brought me joy? Conversations with my teenagers that were not initiated by me, exercising without feeling it was drudgery, indulging in many a Christmas treat, and a bit of a break from the news. I even skipped watching the New Year's Eve shows until the last 10 minutes before 2021 rang in the new year.

  I have always felt this need to celebrate the New Year at Midnight whether I wanted to or not. It was almost like my year would be judged by how I acknowledged the exit and enter of the next chapter. There are so many ways to celebrate other than what I have traditionally thought were the best way to accomplish that goal. We decided (well 3 of us- I suppose it would be too much to expect 2 teenagers to want to be with their parents) to jump in the car and seek an adventure of Christmas lighting and we found it. I admit it wasn’t my idea but I was the first to declare it the fabulous idea that it turned out to be...such pure, unexpected Joy. We were alone for the most part and masked up while we ran through the lights. Thank you to the lighting designers who brought us that sheer, unbridled excitement. On the drive to and from, whether a small cottage or a large home, it was fun to see how they chose to celebrate in lights. Any other year would have rendered delight but 2020 ensured a much stronger feeling for this experience.

  Our fresh cut tree this year did not stand up to the length of time we were requiring of it. While we put it up earlier than usual, we still wanted it up til “Little Christmas” on January 6th. Crazy as it may seem I took the tree apart on New Year's Day morning and left it bare with only the tiny colored lights. This whole move prompted me to eliminate half of our homes Christmas decor in a move toward simplification. Truth be told I was well on my way to taking it all down, and then thought of your teenage granddaughter waking up to the early departure of Christmas Magic and it’s tradition of remaining a bit longer. My impending visual was not good, so I decided to just simplify. I added white paper stars to the tree and to my surprise it looked beautiful and refreshed. A makeover. Design is important, creativity and exploration are not only fun and stimulating but an important way to feed your soul. If you don’t feel like creating your own, I think it’s just as important to experience that of someone else’s ideas much like we appreciated what that lighting designer did for the village we explored post sunset.

  This week I read “Green Lights” by Matthew McConaughey. I picked it up somewhat reluctantly as I wasn’t sure I really wanted to read it, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a fast read. I laughed, cried, and found I was quite interested in his larger than life journey. It was inspirational and reminded me of the importance of the unique choices that each of us has on our own path and more importantly one that may not be understood by others...that’s ok. It is our unique experience that makes us who we are and fills us with what we have to offer to ourselves, those who we walk through life with, or even briefly encounter. As an author, he reminded me to consider once again... where I am, where I am going, and where I want to be as a mother, wife, daughter, friend, sister, and simply to me.

  New Years Resolution: lose some new found and unwanted weight again, exercise more, improve relationships, explore new design ideas, design new adventures? I think this year I’m just going to work on being a better me ...for me. The results will be a bonus for everyone I spend time with and love. I had a nice surprise today, as I was thinking about a quote and who would exemplify this year for me, I asked your granddaughter who she admired. She replied with I don’t know you, dad? Just when you think you can’t ever say anything that is right and that you are an idiot in the eyes of your teenager, they surprise you. That sums up how this year felt for me.

  We celebrated you and your birthday with your favorite...chocolate. While Betty Crocker supplied the Chocolate Cake recipe and icing we added some peppermint flavoring and decorated it with crushed peppermint candy cane from William Sonoma received as a stocking stuffer. Last time, we crushed our own and your granddaughter in her infinite strength nearly chipped our stone countertop so this time around I much appreciated this found ingredient. It will be delicious on ice cream, brownies, and more.

  Next week it’s back to school schedule and restoring some semblance of healthier eating and lifestyle. While I look forward to a much different year in 2021, I will do my best to remember  to enjoy some of the simple pleasures we experienced in 2020. I just watched a year in pictures on one of the network stations and it was an hour filled with me laughing and sobbing alternatively...what a year to be remembered.

Hugs and kisses.

Talk soon,

Forever Yours

Quote:

“Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world; but to change ourselves.”

Mahatma Gandhi 

Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer

1869-1948