After-Christmas

Gratitudes: family visits; music; grandchildren; hugs from my niece and nephew.

My brother-in-law, Chris, and two out of his 3 children visited for a few days after Christmas. We weren't expecting to see them this year due to COVID and all of us being extra cautious. But they didn't want to stay away, and well, we've all been being extra cautious.

We were missing our oldest niece - she's grown now and has a life and a job and responsibilities that kept her home; likewise my sister-in-law, who is like a real honest-to-goodness sister of my heart, wasn't able to join us. But we had a nice visit all the same. It was a quick one but this family knows how to pack a lot of fun and a lot of love into even the shortest of visits.

One of my favourite things about having my brother-in-law visit is when he and Stephen play music together. Chris wrote a song for my oldest granddaughter as his Christmas gift to her, and I don't think anyone in the room wasn't in tears by the end of it.

Everyone has now gone and my house is quiet. I am a solitary person by nature, but I miss them when they've gone. I plan to spend the next several days moping and playing with the things they've forgotten here and drinking all the hot chocolate in the house.

Merry after-Christmas!