'Tis the Season

Last weekend it was time for the annual tree topping! Ya know, Christi and Shayla used to fight over who would get to place the angel on the top. Now Shayla has the honor all to herself and in a heartbeat she'd gladly let Christi do it, if only that were an option. I loved the "orb" that shows up on this picture. It's the only orb that was in the photos I took of our decorating last weekend. Fly, Christi, Fly! (This year Shayla decorated the tree all by herself and I couldn't have been any more please about that. She made the popcorn balls and then strung popcorn. I think it's simple, yet classy. I never got out a single ornament and since some of the Christi ones 'Baby's First Xmas 1997' 'Mom to Be, 1996' etc., etc. always make me so sad, I really lucked out. Again and again Shayla is huge blessing! I love her so much!)

Note the orb - I tell myself Christi was with us in spirit at our little party and poetry reading last night. Christi (like all of us) loved her aunt Marty and uncle Jeff soooooooo much! And she definitely would have loved the fact that I asked everyone to bring a favorite poem or two to share before dinner. (Jeff even wrote a poem, yet passed it off as Robert Frost's work - too funny! And for my students, who most likely think I'm a wee bit crazy anyway, I laugh at what they would have thought when we were all reading about Paul Revere's ride together - it was AWESOME discussing the poetry (and insulting some each other's selections) with each other! After dinner we played my favorite game, Scrabble!) I wore a pair of Christi's socks so that she'd be there too. What a lovely evening with lovely family we don't get to see often enough!



Marty started an amazing tradition when Shayla (her godchild) was little. She bought a huge (and very expensive, I'm sure) nativity set. Each year she wraps up one piece of it for Shayla. Now the set is nearly complete. Shayla is totally in to her Nativity Set. This year I relocated my Dickens Village so that she could have the entire window. Wow! I'll never forget Christmas of 2002 - shortly after Christi had been diagnosed. I caught the girls playing with my Nativity Set. Typically, I would have said, "no, no, no!" but given all that had happened to us that year, I thought it was precious they were moving the statues around and playing with the scene and I let them play. (They didn't even break anything, amazing!) My other great memory of Nativity Scenes is of Shayla opening the baby Jesus piece and saying, "Oh, Jesus!" and then realizing what she said and starting to apologize while we all laughed hysterically.

Here's wishing you and yours a fabulous and blessed week! ENJOY!