It’s Christmastime and it is dejavu in our household. I now remember what it is like to stress about six people living in the same house, yet going in all different directions, with all different time schedules, instead of what I am now comfortably used to – just two middle-aged people essentially on the same, relatively worry-free, easygoing schedule. One of our sons is buying his first car this week. One of our sons is taking the most important national exam of his medical school experience this week. One of our sons is currently driving down the East Coast of the United States, during holiday traffic. And I couldn’t let myself fall asleep last night until I knew that my daughter was safely home from her holiday job at the ice cream shop. And all of our kids’ significant others and close friends have been around visiting, too, and so I am vicariously letting my mommy concerns seep into all their orbits, as well.
Do I miss not having to unload the dishwasher more than twice a week? Yes. Do I miss going to bed not expecting to be woken up by dogs barking at people coming into the house at all hours of the night? Yes. Do I miss having rooms in our house where there are not random piles of other people’s stuff laying all around? Yes. Do I miss just cooking for two instead of trying to guess the actual number of people who could be sitting at the dinner table at night, and then trying to estimate how much to cook to satiate young twenty-something men’s appetites? Yes. But most importantly, am I utterly grateful and savoring every single minute of having our whole family home and together for the holidays? Yes. Yes! YES!!!! (written with a big smile on my face)
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.