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Onward and upward! something that you say in order to encourage someone to forget an unpleasant experience or failure and to think about the future instead and move forward.

My e-mail: jjmiller6213@comcast.net

Sunday, December 27, 2020

 

It is so surprising, I had one of the best Christmas seasons ever this year.

Who would have thought, with the family Christmas get together canceled?

Last week on Thursday, my daughter Karen stopped in with lunch and we got to talk, one-on-one. Then Friday, my sister Susan and brother-in-law Chuck stopped in and brought prezzies and we got to talk, one-on-one.

On Christmas Eve afternoon, my oldest grandchild Helene, her husband Mike and my sweet ggchildren Della and Harrison, stopped in.  We masked up and stayed outside and they brought prezzies and we got to talk, one-on-one.




I opened my gifts on Christmas Eve and made a video for my sister and a video for my granddaughter, to send to them,  while I opened their gifts, so it felt like they were with me.

Then Christmas Day, my neighbor picked me up and over to her house for dinner with her dad and son, and we got to talk, one-on-one. 

When we have our family Christmas, there are 20-30 people and we talk across the room or the table while we eat and there’s a lot of noise and movement and, unless I grabbed one of the kids and dragged them into another room, there is rarely an opportunity for a one-on-one conversation.

I found this year to be so enjoyable—spread out over a week, with individual visits.

Then I realized how lucky I have been this past year.  With all MY “perceived” isolation, I have had more individual visits than in other years.  Last spring, Karen got my groceries for me, so I got to see her every couple of weeks.  In June, I got to attend a wedding with a small group of family.  I got to attend a small birthday gathering in October.  Karen and Mark were here twice to plant my tree and then to trim my hedges and clean up my gardens.  I had a visit from a friend, I hadn’t seen in years, to work on her genealogy and a recent visit from another friend, I hadn’t seen in years, to bring me photos for her genealogy.  Visits from my sister and Chuck, when they’d come down this way to shop. This has been a really great year for me!

I haven’t been isolated at all.  It was only in my mind that I felt that way.

10 comments:

  1. I think that is simply wonderful!! Your glass was half - not half empty!
    I had the very best Christmas season ever! Who knew 2020 would end so beautifully?

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  2. That sounds great. Glad you had a nice Christmas. The one on one visits are perfect! I do enjoy visiting that way better too! Its fun to get everyone together, but I can't hear well so I feel like I miss a lot.

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  3. What a surprise! So glad your family took time to come visit. Merry Christmas for sure!

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  4. Merry Christmas, Judy. So glad that it was a good one for you.

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  5. So glad you were able to have visits with your family!

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  6. Oh honey, it was good to read this joyful post! I am so happy you had this good Christmas---gifted by a pandemic!
    I had Covid for nearly 4 weeks, and it really put me down! I hope maybe having had it will mean I'll build up immunity! Poor Ed's going to have to have his gall bladder removed, and he's trying to avoid it as long as he can. We have a Southern expression: " We're picking low cotton." It means not feeling well so that's been us! Today has been a better day, so good days always good, aren't they!
    Hope 2021 will be a good one for us all!
    Happy New Year, friend!
    Love, Trudy

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  7. I'm so glad you had good visits; I know that did your heart good!

    I hope this new year will be better than the one that just passed. Praying actually.
    xoxo

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  8. Dear Judy, thank you for this helpful posting, which puts so much in perspective about 2020 and is a true "showing" of us, instead of just "telling" us, about the good that can come out of painful experiences. You've woven gratitude into the year. Thank you so much. And may this year of 2021--despite your next posting!!!!--also bring forth gratitude in all of us because things will happen that will surprise us with the wonder of relationship. Peace in this year.

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