Christmas Season, joyful, festive, sad and sorrowful

"I’ve found that this time of year requires a delicate dance. You may be feeling festive, joyful, or celebratory one moment, and then all of a sudden feel flooded with emotions from holidays of the past. You may find yourself missing people who are no longer part of your life, longing for traditions you no longer have, or struggling to implement new traditions. You may find yourself caught up in the madness and then find yourself trying to do your part to do less and keep it simple."  Maria Shriver's latest I've Been Thinking column.

Maria Shriver seems to write about exactly what is going on with me and in my life. I subscribe to her newsletter which comes to my Inbox each Sunday.

This is the most unusual Christmas ever in my life.

First, I have no holiday decor in my house or outside of my house. In fact, a small Thanksgiving plaque is hanging near my door. I do plan to take it down before I leave for Christmas.

I have been busy ordering gifts for Gay and Stu and a couple of close friends. I don't go out to shop in the stores now. Health issues that cause lots of pain, keep me from enjoying the stores as I once did. I loved going to the malls where Christmas music met me at the door and filled my heart with happiness. Amazon and other online shopping stores make my life easier, but this year I had most of the gifts mailed to my sister's house in Roswell, GA because I was afraid they would not arrive in Hayesville before I leave. 

I will be wrapping boxes on Christmas Eve. Due to a recent bout with unrelenting pain, I accomplished nothing at all for the past few days. Just tried to sleep as much as possible because when I am sleeping I am not hurting. 

My friend, Raven, came over Saturday to help me with some things like loading a chair in my car. 

She is unbelievably generous and caring. She brought Buddy, her little dog who is about the size of Lexie, so they could play in the backyard. Lexie was more interested in Raven, her new best friend, and followed her when she took Buddy out of the gate. In a split second, Lexie realized she was free and took off down the street. Luckily, Lexie came when Raven drove her truck nearby and dropped some treats on the ground. I was in my car going after my little escape artist when I saw Raven coming with Lexie on a leash.

After the bad week I had, I was not ready to face losing my little cuddle buddy. I am so glad Lexie came to Raven and did not continue running as she often does with me.

As I might have said before, I deal with several health issues that torment me at times. In recent weeks, I have had two relapses of TN, a nerve disorder that is often brought on by a reaction to chemicals such as perfume, scented products or cleaning supplies. Now I am having sharp pains in my face and neck, but I think my mouth is involved. This time it seems to be a Temporomandibular joint dysfunction and has been very hard to get over.

So those are some of the negative issues for me this Christmas, but I look forward to going down to my sister's beautifully decorated house for Christmas. I will not be making the cornbread dressing for Christmas dinner this year. Just not up to it. But we will have a wonderful dinner at the home of Lee, my niece, and her husband Dave. Dave is an excellent cook and he does the bulk of the cooking. Stu, my BIL, makes the sausage stuffing like his dad made. 

My Cornbread dressing usually made at holiday times

I hope to move into my apartment at the Morings' house when I go down there this time. The only thing holding us up, I'm told, is the stairlift that waits to be installed when the installer can get to it. 

I am excited to see what has been done since I was last in Roswell. I love the paint on the walls, the cabinets in the kitchen, and the vanity. I saw them when I was there at Thanksgiving. But now the floors are in and I know that makes a big difference. 

So, Christmas will be a happy time when I can be with family and when I can get into my new home away from home. Send me positive vibes for a pain-free and drive down south this week. 

I hope your holidays are fun and healthy and that you spend some time, face to face or virtual with loved ones.

Banana pudding made by Gay for holidays. This is Mother's recipe

We always remember our loved ones when we gather for meals, especially Barry, June, and Mother. As long as we remember and speak of them, they will be with us.
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