This morning when the alarm rang at 3:45 I could scarcely believe it. Hadn’t I just gone to sleep? I didn’t turn out the light until after 11 p.m., netting approximately Still, I dragged myself out of my bed and started into my morning routine–coffee, shower, dressing, etc. Sandy said she’d be at my house at 5 a.m. and I was fully convicted that she and her husband would show up at the appointed hour and shortly after their arrival we would pack our stuff into the car and make the 600 mile trek back home to Indiana for the holidays. With the exception of some rain and wind, the weather was mild and the driving was easy. Sandy and I shared driving duties, recreating our earlier road trip to Gainesville, Georgia for our family reunion last July. Her husband and my daughter hung out in the back seat. Tonight I am grateful once again for traveling mercies.
For most of this evening, since we arrived at my brother’s house where Michal and I will be staying, I have either felt like I was still moving or I was out on my feet. We went over to my other brother’s house for dinner. It has been so great being with family. As often happens we launched into a lot of catching up conversations with nieces and nephews, sisters-in-law (both of whom are such a part of my life they can hardly be considered “in laws”). It really is the best part of the holiday season.
I wish I had the energy to write this evening about all that I am seeing and experiencing that I am grateful for, but I am simply too tired. That is discouraging, but it is all I can do to write these few lines. I am looking forward to a good night’s rest and earnestly hope to sleep in tomorrow morning–and in this case sleeping in means not getting out of bed at 3:45 or 5:30 or even 7:00 a.m. With any luck I might manage to sleep until 8:30 or something like that. How great would that be?
I am looking forward to being coherent and spending quality time with family. Heck, with two shopping days until Christmas I might have to do some shopping just to say I did! But for this evening I am simply grateful to be safely home among family, very much feeling love and connection. And that is a beautiful thing.
