All is Calm

Hard to believe but tonight all is calm. Katherine will be coming home tomorrow night and we have a family celebratory tea on Friday afternoon, but Sweetie and I have been gradually getting things ready, wrapping packages, washing and drying teacups, making cookies

and stringing up lights outside on the porch. Feeling festive and grateful for our health and such great family and friends that we have been blessed with.

The second anniversary of my Mom's death was last week, dimming the seasonal joy a bit. I miss her every day, but it usually brings a smile to my lips, remembering something she said or did or her perspective on something. Tonight I put up her Nativity Scene (see photo at top) on the Willett hutch, right next to the photo of her in her blue sweater. It's the one that graced her mantle for over 20 years at Christmas, and it makes me smile having it in my kitchen. Good to remember the reason for the season, especially with the busy times just ahead.

Hope you are enjoying the time spent preparing for the coming of the Savior, the return of light to the world, however you see this short day when night is the longest here in the Northern Hemisphere.