Merry Christmas

Bittersweet day today.

Mom is getting better. She actually went to mass at church (for the first time since the stroke) yesterday evening. Not the midnight mass, but the 6 pm one. She's still weak and forgetful, but I'm still seeing slight improvements. Will she ever be back 100%? I doubt it, but she can stay in her own house for a while and that's a good thing.

JC is home on leave and he and Katie also went to mass with Mom and Kimi and I, AND to midnight mass at her church with her family. They were well churched!! LOL

But after they left and it was just Mom and Kimi and I hanging out in the kitchen, it really struck me how diminished our family will soon be.

JC will be deploying very soon, Katie heading to Europe for her study abroad. That really just leaves the three of us this time next year. Someday it will just be Kimi and I.

Most of the time I just miss Walt as a ‘background ache’, but today, his absence was a gaping hole in my soul. Babe, I miss you. Daddy, I miss you too. You guys DO know you’re on guardian angel duty for the Marine!Goth for the next 14 months, right? It will take two Marines to keep that one Marine out of trouble in Iraq!!!

On the up side! The scarves were VERY well received. Mom wore hers all day and declared it the ‘softest wool ever’. And the beads were very much a hit with Kimi. Katie was also appreciative – esp when JC spilled the beans that the reason that they’d spent a day running errands and over to her parent’s house last weekend was to give me a chance to block it LOL. The ipod was also a hit and will soon contain many photos and songs.

My haul was modest – a small occasional lamp from the set that I want from JC, a couple of gift cards/cash envelopes from Mom and MIL and a lovely little piece of framed needlework with all kinds of USMC symbols from Katie. Just having everybody under one roof was gift enough for me.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Mankind – a prayer, not a carol.