Three divorce hearings
One funeral
Birthday lunch at elementary school with youngest Cypress grandson (following mad shopping frenzy to find the "exact" shoes he wanted)
Annual Church Women’s Christmas Luncheon in River Oaks
H-town Bar Association party
Shopping for the family we adopted for Christmas
Law firm dinner
Woodlands/Montgomery County holiday party with friends
Sunday service of Carols
Party at our house for Houston area organization
Party in Woodlands with professional colleagues
and a busy, busy schedule at work.........

I love this time of year! Not that a number of bad things haven’t happened to me (and others) around this time of year but you just can’t let those memories attach themselves to the holiday. The funeral is today and it’s completely sad. 44 years old – she ignored every warning sign for three weeks – died as she was getting dressed to finally allow her husband to take her to the emergency room. Imagine not being able to breathe well for three weeks. Left a husband and three children behind and one inconsolable dear friend. Okay, well, as I said, I work to not let events like this attach to the season. Let them stand alone, that’s my philosophy. Learned that when my Dad died on Christmas Eve 36 years ago .....

I try to remember and to notice that lots of wonderful events also occur, just look at this year. Births of two more precious grandchildren, gatherings almost daily of friends and family, living surrounded by colorful decorations listening to holiday music, worshipful events and gatherings with church friends, seasonal letters that allow one to catch up with the lives of friends (especially those living far away), and food. Oh, the food. Way too much food. And gratitude. Gratitude for the coming birth, for friends, for loved ones, for health and good work to do. Gratitude that at this season of my life, I have meaning and purpose in my life in spite of the grief, a few battle scars, and all that comes from decades lived. My favorite secular quote of the season:

~Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!
Dr. Suess