Twas the night before Christmas…

And all through the house…not a creature was stirring…not even a mouse…

Cuz cat lover me…was working on that advent calendar…the cat…advent calendar…put one 100 piece puzzle together each day…until the night before Christmas…

Finish that last one up…and there you have it…one big kitty cat masterpiece…

I drew up my head and turning around…came that husband of mine…in the room with a bound…

His eyes how they twinkled…his wrinkles how merry…then he asked the one question…and it was…how dare he…

Which cat of all cats…is your favorite said he…not counting Wrigs…cuz that’s…a gimme…

He pointed his out…the one full of joy…knew which one to choose…looks like our sweet Pumpkin boy…

That husband of mine…nodded his head…then turned with a jerk and went off to bed…but heard him exclaim…as he got out of sight…

Merry Christmas…to all…and to all…a good-night…

And now this year has come to an end…but just have to say…this advent calendar…is certainly one…you should buy…for a friend…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

Not a day goes by…that that husband of mine…

Doesn’t mention Old Man Wrigley…it was a loss…for sure…a heartbreaking loss…but for him…it seems…deeper than that…

The littlest thing…can bring up…his Best Friend Wrigs…that looks like…Best Friend Wrigs…remember when…Best Friend Wrigs…there’s never been a cat like…Best friend Wrigs…

Can’t put the cat house in storage…cuz of…Best Friend Wrigs…won’t change that damaged screen…because those holes were made by…yea…you got it…

Best Friend Wrigs…

The void…is real…

But what to my wondering eyes should there be…on the shelf at Goodwill…a little Best Friend Wrigs…curled up just like….Best Friend Wrigs….and came home with us…just like…

Best Friend Wrigs…

And so it is in life…with loss…it takes time to fill that hole in the heart…a Christmas puzzle…a random trip to Goodwill…the universe out there showing it’s love…just like…

Go ahead and say it…

Best Friend…Wrigs…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

Old Man Wrigley…

Was the neighbor’s cat…spent his days in the garage…quiet…shy…a scaredy cat for sure…

Found he liked living next to old retired folks…became their friend…greeted them in the morning…sat on the lap in the outside sun…had just developed the courage…to come inside…

When it was time…to head to Texas…

His loss…was unexpected…a shock…didn’t see it coming…and felt guilt…so much guilt…for not being there…when he said…his last…good-bye…

Was invited later…to visit that friend of mine…Old Man Wrigley’s owner…meet her family…

We got Wrigley…said her son…when I was 10 or 11…that was over 20 years ago…thank you…he went on…for giving him such love and attention…during his final year…he deserved that…

And there it was…the guilt was gone…replaced with gratitude…for the kind words…acceptance…that 20 years…is a long time…

And the understanding…that no amount of time…can change the love you have…for those…you have lost…

Even those four legged furry friends…who unexpectedly…capture…your heart…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This husband of mine…

Got the biggest kick out of one of his Christmas gifts…not normally a puzzle-doer…but sat right down…and started puzzling…

Chuckling that old man chuckle…pointing out the likenesses…of two of his favorite cats…in the whole wide world…

Knew he’d start with Old Man Wrigley…letting his lovely wife work the on Roddy Piper look-a-like…up there in the corner…

It’s been a year now…since we lost our best friend…that neighbor of ours…who won us over with his innocence…his cuddles…his gift of love…

A year since we said good-bye assuming our backyard cat family would be the same…when our travels to Texas were done…

A year…come spring…when Old Man Wrigley would be in kitty cat Heaven…and Roddy Piper…would have a new home…

And so…we work together…chatting…laughing…reliving memories…of sweet silly kitty times…and little by little…feeling those pieces of a broken heart…slowly…come together…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This husband of mine…

Is a patient man…a very…patient man…until it comes to movie previews…don’t know why…but they get on his nerves…

Wants to enter the theater at the last minute…in hopes of avoiding all that comes before the show…
But it’s never late enough…because one of us…loves…the previews…sit back…get settled…see what’s coming soon…

Ignore the groans…the sighs…the oh-no-not-another ones…that echo between chomps of popcorn…not sure why it’s a big deal…but for him…it just is…

And so it is…in life…we all have our thing…that little thing…that for some unexplained reason…gets under…the skin…

That hypothetical your-husband-decides-to eat-Frosted-Flakes-in-bed-while-you’re-trying-to-read kind of thing…thet close your eyes…deep breath…it will pass soon…kind of thing…

And it will…pass soon…be short lived…because it’s a small bowl…we pray it’s a small bowl…and only one bowl…of cereal…

Hypothetically…

And this husband of mine…agrees…
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What’s YOUR thing?

This old gal…

Was a crybaby…not for the reason you’d think…the I-miss-my-daughters-I-feel-sorry-for-myself tears…those woes have passed…this heartache…this blubbering…is because of…Mufasa…

Celebrated the holiday…at the theater…a giant tub of popcorn…a gallon of pop…a handful of napkins…a box of the Duds…

That first Lion King…thirty years ago cartoon Lion King…a little girl favorite…had Lion King toys…Simba stuffed animal…Lion King birthday party…

Must have seen that movie…a million times…played the soundtrack…a million times…but not once…not until today…has Lion King lover me…thought there might be…

More…to the story…

And that’s…what Mufasa is…more…to the story…and that’s when the tears began to fall…the sniffling emerge…because…more to the story…fills in so…many…holes…

And so it is…in life…there is always…will always be…more…to the story…we just need to take time to acknowledge it…and care enough…to hear it out…
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And that husband of mine…who was dabbing his eyes because they were…uh…tired……agrees…

Many moons ago…those daughters and I…

Made an unexpected trip to the Ozarks…to spend Christmas…with that dear sweet aunt of mine…

Life in the toilet…marriage on the brink…needed distance…needed a place to go…needed someone…who cared…

Crashed the family holiday…were welcomed with open arms…soothed with hugs…laughter…support…and gifted…

With homemade holiday sweatshirts…wore them proudly…that very special holiday…and have worn them proudly…ever since…

And so today…we celebrate gifts…the gift of Jesus…the gift of family…the gift of friends…the gift of loved ones who are there…when you need them most…

And the gift…of homemade snowman sweatshirts…made by someone special…someone kind…someone caring…someone who deserves to know what a special gift she is to us…

And to everyone…who knows her…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This old gal…

Loved the Christmas sweater…the ugly…Christmas sweater…long before…it was a thing…

Christmas sweaters…sweatshirts…socks…scarves…wore them with pride…because that’s…what being a teacher…was all about…

December at school…music programs…books…students filled with excitement…the free rein to wear fun…quirky things…that make kids smile…

Dedicated a week…in 2014…to wearing authentic…vintage…straight from the closet sweaters…that only see the light of day…one month…out of the year…

Sweaters with snowmen…sweaters with sparkles…sweaters bought in college…sweaters with shoulder pads…the coveted Eagle’s Eye sweater had to save up for…because it was…gasp…30 dollars…

And there she was…that daughter of mine…that teacher…daughter of mine…garbed in that sweater…from 1984…a hand me down from someone she knew…

Carrying on the tradition…carrying on the fun…carrying on…the love…because when you really think about it…isn’t that…what life…is all about…
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And that daughter of mine…agrees…

Mama me…

Woke every two hours…check the time…check her phone…check the status…of that daughter of hers…

Who decided to leave before dawn…drive three hours…meet up at her sister’s…catch that flight to DC…just after noon…

Mama me…was worried…that cutting-it-to-the-last-minute girl…would miss her flight…over sleep…car break down…run ridiculously late…

But fear…she need not…all was easy peasy lemon squeezy…until…airport arrival…a two hour delay…became…a four hour delay…became…a seven…hour delay…

Passed the time…doing homework…reading…coloring…sending silly selfies…trying to stay calm…in an exhausting…situation…

And so it is…in life…sometimes…we are tested…our patience…is tested…a test…that can be…hard to pass…

Breathe…dig deep…reach out…and in the case of those weary travelers of mine…use that thanks-for-being-patient food voucher…to fill your face…with joy…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

If this old gal is being honest…

The FOMO…isn’t really about not being together on Christmas…it’s really just about…not being…together…

Don’t need the Hallmark Holiday gatherings…been there…done that…fun of course…but also hectic…stressful…exhausting…

It’s the simple together time…coffee in the morning…pizza at the pizza place…rubbing feet and talking…while binge watching some stupid show on Netflix…

That’s…what really counts…

Haven’t all been together…in over a year…the longest being apart…ever…time seems to be going…at warp speed…dammit Jim…I’m a doctor…not a magician…

Can’t stop the clock…or turn back time…but can…boldly go…where this old gal…has not gone before…or shall we say…recently…

Gonna plan together time…gonna make it happen…then gonna…live long and prosper…cuz together time…is all that’s needed…to heal…an aching heart…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…