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Blogs by Pamela C Labud
Blessings present and accounted for... 12/16/2007 6:25:53 PM
Hello, Gentle Readers!
Wow. I was looking around at some of my myspace friend's pages and I saw a Christmas countdown clock. 8 days, people. 8. Days. How did we get this close and why didn't anybody tell me it was coming up so fast?
In my usual holiday fashion, I'm about two months behind on everything and as I was rushing to get the last of my shopping finished I stopped for gas. When I got out of the car I got hit with what I think is the first major blast of winter cold. Right in the face. It took me off guard. I live in Florida and the cold sometimes seeps in here when you're not looking. Of course, it's not 'cold' cold, like the blizzard conditions and ice storms up north, but still, to someone who hasn't even seen a snow flake, except one of the paper cut-out ones, it was darn right chilly.
But, I don't mean to lament about the weather. When I got out of the car, I had a flash back of memories. The first one took me back to a Christmas twenty-five years ago and the first real heartbreak of my life. Earlier that winter I'd lost my dad and my family was struggling to keep it together for the season. My sister was pregnant with the first grandchild, my niece Janice, and we did the best we could to keep on a brave face. I remember thinking that if we made it through Christmas, we'd be okay.
The next thing I knew, my thoughts took a sharp turn. In 1990, shortly after our oldest daughter was born, Bill and I learned that the husband of a friend of ours, a couple who'd married within weeks of our own wedding, had been killed in a car accident. At the time, many had questioned our rush to get married, and a few even the wisdom of having a child so quickly. Worries about not waiting until Bill graduated from nursing school and starting our new marriage with a new baby seemed unimportant after my friend's loss. In the space of a single breath, we realized that things can change instantly and forever and that we needed to hold on to each other no matter what.
Then, my mind zoomed forward to the 1996 Christmas Eve, when Bill and I spent another December Sunday afternoon, at a grave site, saying good-bye to a dear friend who'd lost her life to a violent act. Again, my heart was shattered and my husband and I stood holding hands and grasping on to every moment for dear life. My youngest daughter was barely six months old and I grieved because she'd never knew what a great person my friend had been.
As hard as it is face the memories of those I've lost, I still think of the holidays as a time of renewal, a time to give thanks and count our blessings, and most importantly a time for family. I think the biggest mistake we make is to take what we have for granted. Instead of focusing on the pain of those losses, I am reminded how precious our lives are, how we need to constantly keep the spirit of love in our hearts, and how we need to hold our dear ones close every single minute.
So, in closing, Gentle Readers, I want to wish you a Happy Holiday season, a time of precious family togetherness and friendship. May each of you enjoy a healthy, happy, joyous, and prosperous New Year. And, as always, Happy Reading! Pam.
