The Morning After

Wow, what a whirlwind of a weekend! It is good to be home by myself this morning, Christmas music playing on the radio, the dog asleep at my feet and a hot cup of tea at hand.

The Glogg party was a success. It always is. This year there was an undercurrent of sadness, however. Our Aunt Cela passed away on Friday afternoon after a two year battle with cancer. Early on Saturday morning I drove from Belfast to Camden to meet my Dad at his local breakfast joint. To tell him the news. We spent a few hours together. Then it was off to my sister's house to clean. Yes, I cleaned my sister's house. Somehow other folks dirt and dust are not as soul sapping as my own. I squeezed in a much needed hair cut and a quick nap but by 6pm the candles were lit, the food was out and the glogg was warming on the stove.

Here is a picture of my sister and I. She is holding one of her famous Cosmos or "Pink Drinks" as the crowd was calling them. They sustained most of the crowd until the glogg was lit at 8:30p. We lit it on the deck this year which was a wise move. The flame shot up a good 5 feet. It was really very beautiful and NO, I do not have a picture. Before you start cursing my name, I do have a good excuse. At the very last moment I was asked to offer a toast to our Aunt.

Under the stars on a deck crowed with 40 good souls I raised my glass:

Please raise your glasses to our Aunt Cela who passed away yesterday. She was a tall woman with a great deal of class. Our Aunt had a big heart and a wonderful sense of humor. She will be deeply missed.

Snuffle, snuffle. A moment of silence. And then we asked everyone to grab a mug and line up for some glogg. We know that our Aunt would not have wanted us to cancel the party on her account. Her spirit was with us all night.

As sometimes happens, I have run out of words. Soon I will tell you the story of how my sis and I scored the bling around our necks as well as an update on my leaping boy. Until then, remember that the gift that our loved ones want the most is the gift of our time and attention. So, sit on the couch and snuggle a child.