there's more

The older I get, the more I value being together with family on holidays.

Perhaps I took that for granted a bit, because as a child, I always saw both sets of grandparents and numerous cousins and aunts and uncles every Christmas. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't see my brothers and their families for Christmas. And after joining Jack's family, I expected I would spend every Christmas eve with his parents and siblings and generation upon generation of family.

But sometimes, plans don't go the way you expect them to go. Families expand and change and those new family groups want part of the time I expected would be spent with me. I understand that change--mostly because I know how much I value time with family, so how could I expect others to not feel the same way about their family who is also my family?

But then there are other reasons why families don't spend time together. Hurt feelings, perceived slights, even significant wrongs--all expand and swell until somebody says too much or goes too far and then traditions end.

I don't have the answers for mending damaged relationships. I only know that the older I get, the more I value time with family.

Somehow, I didn't get any photos of Stu's and Shi's family on Christmas, so I snagged the shots on this post from Shi's facebook page. I could write pages and pages about how adorable Audrey and Ellie looked in their new Christmas jammies and robes--how delightful they were, as always, during their visit. I should have taken pictures of Ellie immediately snuggling up on her princess couch and Audrey oohing delightedly over her princess snow globe.

But mostly, the thing I will remember about this Christmas is that Stu and Shi and Audrey and Ellie were all together this year, whether at this house or mine or elsewhere--they were together. Nobody was in the hospital.

This will be a most wonderful memory.