All I Want For Christmas

All I want, I already have.

Sharing my December birthday with Christmas and with Thanksgiving right before, I have plenty of opportunities to connect with family.

When I was in my 20’s, we lived in Fort Wayne and then Kokomo, Indiana before moving to Detroit where my youngest daughter was born.

We would pack up the kids and travel to our parents for the holidays this time of year.

That was a lifetime ago.

I say that because, my kids and stepkids are now living a similar life.

4 out of 5 of the “kids” in our family are married.

4 out of 5 have kids of their own, or will in a couple of months.

And I am amazed at all of this “family”.

I recall a dozen years ago visiting my mother-in-law at Christmas and she was surround by every one of her seven sons and daughters and their families.

I glanced over at her sitting in her chair.  She was resting her eyes and had a big smile on her face.  I imagined her contentment of having family fill her home.

Each year, between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, I see or at least hear from each of our offspring and get that same feeling of contentment she must have felt.

As I said recently to one of my kids, the best presents for me is your presence.

May your Christmas be blessed too.

Yes, that was me as a 5 year old along with my cousin Susan, Uncle Bill, Grandma Mary, Aunt Maria (with glasses) and my own Mom.  This was before digital photography, and sometimes it would be several weeks before film was developed, thus the April 1965 date stamp.