Gift of Christmas

What do you remember about the holidays when you were younger? Was it expensive gifts and extravagant meals?  Or was it spending time with the ones you love?  More and more each year, I realize it's the experiences leading up to the holiday that I will remember. I remember driving with my family in the evening looking at houses decorated with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. Each year we attended Christmas morning mass, then rush home to open our gifts before going to my Grandma and Grandpa's for our Christmas meal and to share my Grandma's birthday who was born on Christmas. My Dad taking each of his children (5 of us) on our own to buy Mom her Christmas gift from us.  One year I still remember he let me pick out bath oil beads for Mom at Walgreen's and at the time, our store had a small restaurant in it with red leather booths.  My Dad and I each had a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. 

 My favorite ornament on our Christmas tree growing up was the church pictured above, though it used to have a small dome over it.  Each year after my husband and I were married, my Mom would show me where my favorite church was on she and Dad's tree.  My Mom passed away nearly 10 years ago, and my Dad still has all of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to celebrate Christmas.  My husband and I now have my favorite little church on our tree where I pack it away safely each year until the next Christmas.  It warms my heart seeing it and fills me with memories of Christmas's past.  

We have a beautiful artificial tree now, but growing up until nearly 10 years ago, we enjoyed the ritual of finding the most perfect Christmas tree.  I consider my memories a true gift and remember them more vividly than anything else.  Spending time with your family and friends and visiting those who have lost a loved one or spending the holidays alone will be the true gifts of Christmas.  

Memory Filled Road Trip

We have just returned from a trip 400 miles north of our home to attend services for my Dad's brother who was my uncle and Godfather. We drove my Dad and his Sister up with us where we were greeted by nearly 50 of my cousins and their families who had traveled in from across the country to say their good byes. While the reason for the trip was a sad occasion, it was actually quite an uplifting trip and journey.  The gathering of family for the occasion gave us all the opportunity to share story upon story of our childhoods together where we realized the appreciation we have for our parents bringing us into the world and making us all a family.  Instead of grieving for my uncle, we celebrated his life as we viewed a tribute video his family had made including his trips to Australia to visit family, pictures of him riding a camel and embracing a koala bear.  He enjoyed golf both in Wisconsin and Arizona where he spent a couple of months each winter to visit another of he and my aunt's 5 children.  He loved going out on his pontoon boat with his family and fishing with my Dad. He and my Dad enjoyed friendly competition when they golfed, taking it to another level and making a small trophy with a golf ball on top the winner kept until the next golf game together.  As we walked around his home on the lake where he and my Dad shared many great times together after my Mom and my Aunt passed away, many stories were shared of the brothers dealing with their grief and loss at the house on the lake.  Each night after a day on the lake fishing, they would enjoy a Manhattan cocktail before dinner sometimes consisting of the daily catch of the day or an occasional supper together at the local supper clubs.  To have had the opportunity to share these memories with my Dad and Aunt over the past few days and cousins is something I will always cherish. I'm not sure Dad or my husband and I will travel up there again so I spent a lot of time taking pictures to capture in albums for Dad, my Aunt and myself.  My Dad is in his mid 80's and is in good health, living in the house he and my Mom raised their family of 5 children. I watch others close to me going through the heartache of losing parents and feel gratitude for the time I spend with my loved ones every day.

~Cherish your moments and thanks for reading my story~

Preserving Memories - Cabin Journals

                                                          LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE!

                                          It's not the destination we reach that's most rewarding.
      
                                                      It's the journey along the way.

                  
    
                                                                BARLARA MORINA


One of the first purchases I made when we bought our cabin were a couple of visitors journals and pens. I place them on a table where our guests can see them and invite them to journal special memories of their stay with us.  We always  enjoy looking back to past entries.   Particularly if the entries are written by loved ones who have left us too soon.  Memories includes everything from the weather during the visit, special moments, activities we did during the stay, favorite restaurants, shops, or entertainment that were discovered.

They can be found online at www.guestbookstore.com or www.journalsunlimited.com.