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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The night before, the night before…...

Dear friends have turned this day into one of my very favorite days of the year.  My mother's favorite day is tomorrow- Christmas Eve.  The anticipation, stillness, preparation….she always made it special and still does.  This year Mom and Dad are with us for "Leithauser" Christmas and I'm so grateful. They safely arrived today- over the mountains and through the fog…to their daughter's house they came!

We had a good day, a productive and lovely day on Newark-Granville Road. Joe needed to rest so I went to work early and came home early- the work will wait until next week.  Clare and I ran some final errands that were bonus errands- finding lights for the back staircase that is too dark, a swag of green for the back entrance, a gift or two.  We shared fun conversation and laughter- quality mother daughter time, similar to some interactions with my Mom in the past.  Much of our chatter was about expectations and preparation, savoring time and seeing the big picture.  Clare is growing up quite nicely- a gift I'll take this holiday season.  I also found missing objects- a pile that was shifted to an odd location.  Hints of missing mail and a request for a form sent me on the search! What a delight to open a Thanksgiving card, party invite (assumed inability to attend- family event far away) and some great catalogs!

Welcoming my parents to town was a treat and unloading the treats that accompanied them from Maryland was too!  My Mom makes the best Christmas cutout cookies- they are thin and crisp- sand tarts is what we call them and to me they define Christmas.  Christmas isn't Christmas until I have a Nana sand tart.  How wonderful to have them hand-delivered this year!  They made it to enjoy Clare's JV basketball game and Mom joined in on a beautiful holiday party hosted by good friends. I love when Moms meet Moms/parents/parents- it makes sense they get along and connect quickly.

The eve of the eve party is one we hate to miss and last year's family travel was worth it.  However this year I love being home, in my home, at parties with my friends, at my church.  I've set the table for our Christmas Eve dinner- my Mom is preparing. The meringues are in the oven, a few more minutes and I'll turn them off for their overnight set. They will be served with peppermint stick ice cream for a festive dessert.  A late night door knock was a pleasant surprise- the night is filled with love and friendship all around until the very end of the day.


Tomorrow we wake up and the day will fly with more traditions, fellowship and fun!  In the night we will celebrate the special birth of our King. We don't change our expectations for Him, we are inspired and in awe of the greatness he brings, the Hope and Love he shows, the world that is ready and waiting. Let us savor and be ready indeed.



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