As I've been putting away the Christmas decorations and ornaments, I've really been taking the time to enjoy the memories. For the decorations, I try to write on either the package or the decoration itself who the gift was from and when. Many of my Christmas decorations are nearly 20 years old, and Andrew even brought some into the marriage from his family.
The ornaments are even more precious. Not only are the years and gift giver written on those as well, but many times the ornaments are representative of something the kids enjoyed that year or are from vacations we took. I'm taking a moment to reflect and appreciate those memories.
As we went through the holidays this year, I couldn't help but feel changes were coming. My in-laws are 78 & 82, and my father-in-law has been diagnosed with dementia. My grandmothers are 88 & 87 (as of yesterday), and of course my brother-in-law has severe complications from diabetes. I know the chances of having all five of these people still in our lives, just as they are now, in the next couple of years is unlikely. And of course, Robert gets no say in his holiday plans as of July. Honestly, the last time I had this feeling around the holidays was 2012, and that ended up being the last year my dad was around. I'm very grateful I took the time to make sure I treasured the moments.
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