Christmas into February

I was so touched to have been spoiled by my family and by my love this Christmas, and getting snowed in for a few days without t.v. with part of them may have been the biggest gift of all. Mostly it was just nice to be listened to and to be remembered. I felt loved.

But Christmas has extended past its calendar for me, and not just because Mom is still clinging to the decorated tree (and I'm secretly loving it). I feel awful that our little bits of snow, plus the "superstorm" and the usual string of cold and 'flu-like irritations that came this year put me behind the curve for Christmas cards. Believe it or not, I wrote the few that I'm managing to send on SOTU night, and I'm mailing them this week. They were bought for being late, so they don't reference Christmas -- but I wish you and those on my of necessity small Christmas card list the joy, love and peace that comes with that season to light your entire year.

"Santa" also came late as well as right on the day to me, and I hope he stays all year: not only did I find the entirely logical and good place where I had stowed my trusty and rarely-used ceramic heater, but I also noticed that someone (presumably Mom, but who knows?) purchased a little heating fan that we can use to backstop ourselves if we ever have the need to do so! Both those things made me feel relieved and pleased, to say the least. There's one more item I'm going to find or replace, and that's my collection of bylined work, college poems and published editorials. Likely a member of my family is archiving them, although it's possible that they got lost in that last, most chaotic move. I still owe a newspaper librarian $20 (Canadian -- though I guess the two currencies are at near par at the moment) for the work she did photocopying my stuff from Ottawa. Part of me is hoping I actually get to go back and retrace my steps to create my own archive, although that may be a lengthy, lengthy process. I may never do any more work of value, but I'm planning to examine what I've done and see how it measures up, at least in my own eyes.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue to strive to better myself -- not in the financial sense, but rather the personal one. I want to live the kind of life that doesn't necessarily need to be recorded but would ring true and good if it were, accurately. If all else fails regarding my former line of employment, I'll refer you to my former boss (and a friend I miss), Bill, who said as countless editors no doubt did: "You'll write it better the second time."

May the rest of winter be kind to you, Northern Hemisphere, and may Spring come soon enough for your liking. Oh, and thank you notes are forthcoming.