This weekend kicked off the holiday season in our household. Along with the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, Saturday brought us the joy of 7 kids plus 4 adults jammed packed into of 156 sq ft living with sparkling ornaments and laughter flying around with no inhabitations! Seriously though, it was great having everyone there to decorate. Martha Stewart may have cringed, but I loved watching the kids decorate the tree without a care in the world. It was a subtle reminder to me that no matter how beautiful the magazine ad decorations may look, nothing compares to children's un- jaded imaginations.
The star atop the tree is a tribute to Phil who as his family put it "tended to pick out the tackiest and gaudiest thing possible" :o)
Well Phil, this one is for you as we know you are shining brightly above us everyday.
Saturday night led us to a movie night of The Christmas Carol in preparation for Sunday's performance at The Ohio Theatre. The production was put on by The Nebraska Theater Caravan. The play was fabulous! The set up was wonderfully designed and painted and the costumes were to be coveted by anyone even remotely interested in period attire.
As I sat there next to Matt and the kids, I realized how long it had been since I watched a great stage performance (8 years to be precise-and I say great because throughout college I watched numerous plays done by the MC Theater Department, but none ever impressed me. Maybe the chose plays weren't my cup of tea or maybe it's because I prefer the classics? One way or another Sunday's performance gave me that same joyful feeling WPHS's Theater department did for 4 years thanks to Fran Schoolcraft's ability to reign in a bunch of teenagers and run a high school theater program as if it were the hottest playhouse on Broadway).
And to conclude, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I would like to say how thankful I am for all of the opportunities that have been a part of my life. There are so many people in the world who may never experience the joy of moving into a new home, surrounding themselves with loving family and friends, going to a musical, hearing the innocent laughter of children as they hang ornaments on a tree, having a big fat loving cat sit on their keyboard as they (try to) type, going to church to celebrate their God free of persecution and ridicule, being able to vote without fear of being killed for their choice, smelling fresh cut flowers or Mom's roast in the oven, playing a musical instrument or favorite sport, waking up to heat, electricity, and clean running water, etc.
All of these things are "stuff" that I tend to take for granted, but am going to concentrate on appreciating everyday. Even when times are tough, we lose those we love, money is tight, or time seems like my enemy, I'm going to try to stop and be thankful for the good times, the memories I made with my loved ones, the small amount of money I have does keep a nice roof over our heads and food on the table, and the time that I have been given to live my life.
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