A Wonderful Holiday

It's been a while since I've spent this much time in Conway, and I've been doing some reflecting while here. It's interesting how I now have more than one home. When I'm in Bentonville, I am at my new home. It feels like home, looks like home, and when away (even in Conway), I feel a little distant because I'm not home. However, when I return to Conway (where Wes and I both grew up), the feeling of home comes back. It's a little different though. I live out of a suitcase, my domestic abilities and tendencies fly out the window (thanks, mom and Susie), and I feel like I'm kind of on vacation. I get to see and spend quality time with family, try to reconnect with old friends (sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't due to crazy schedules), and eat wonderful homecooked meals. Mom and I shop, my family talks and watches movies, I eat and play at the Walker's, and I drive around the town knowing all of the back roads. So I guess the reflecting started when I realized I've kind of been walking through this holiday week in a rather somber mood. I'm home with the people I love the most, but because it's not my "home" anymore, I relax a little more and just enjoy what goes on around me.
Christmas this year was wonderful. I enjoyed getting to come here a few days early so that I could spend more time with my brother who lives in California. On Christmas Eve, Wes came in around 5:00, we ate an incredible dinner, and then we went to church. The music at the service was beautiful as always. My grandmother who has dementia attended and really appeared to take it all in, as well as participate in communion. My family played Trivial Pursuit, ate/drank Boiled Custard, watched A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott version of course), and got in our Christmas pajamas. Christmas morning was a special time for the five of us. We exchanged gifts and then set off to get the rest of the crew in the house. This involves an intricate plan of wheelchair manuevering and car shuffling. After a few hours, the house was filled. We ate my favorite breakfast of the whole year and then exchanged gifts with the new guests. Tears were shed all morning and afternoon. As we sang Christmas carols around the piano, Pappaw mouthed the words to Silent Night, although not one word was spoken by him all day. Mammaw sang along to Jingle Bells. Patsy blessed the food with a very sentimental prayer. And Granny wrote each person an extremely meaningful note. I guess a lot of the somberness was encouraged by these events. I experience the cycle of life during the holidays, as I go from my family's house with several elderly grandparents to Wes' house with five children five years of age and under. Ok, enough reflection and rambling. All this to say, I'm here in Conway at my in-law's and loving being with family. I hope and pray you all had a wonderful Christmas. It's a joy to know that we can celebrate the meaning of the holiday all year long. May God bless you all in ways beyond our understanding.