Saturday night about 9:30, I was downstairs doing laundry. When I came back upstairs, Oliver the wiener had managed to pull a coat off the table and get a pack of sugar-free gum out of the pocket. For those of you who don't know, most sugar-free gum contains xylitol, a chemical that is poisonous to dogs. The minute I saw the shredded package on the floor, I freaked out and immediately called the emergency animal hospital and spoke with one of the doctors who told me to get my mischievous wiener dog there as quickly as I could. I bawled all the way there as flashbacks of driving there with J.R. raced through my brain and I kept saying to Ollie, "You're gonna be OK, buddy ... you have to be OK." A couple of hundred dollars and several hours later, I carefully placed Ollie on a blanket in the front seat of my car and drove home ... he was not at all happy after having his little tummy emptied in a not so pleasant manner, while I was ecstatic that the doctor found no gum or wrappers and that all of his blood work was normal. This morning, he is snuggled in between Julie and me on the couch as I type, snoring loudly as he sleeps. Both of my hounds are happy today because I gave them some turkey for breakfast ... hey, it's Christmas, and all dogs deserve a little turkey at Christmas, even wieners who shred gum packages and cost you $200 and scare you to death.
Yesterday, my daughter Meghann, son-in-law Barrett, son Brad and his girlfriend Shelby arrived at my house around 2 p.m. for a late lunch (the turkey was really for my kiddos, and the dogs got a taste of the leftovers) and to open Christmas gifts before Meghann and Barrett headed to his folks for the week and Shelby headed to her family's for a couple of days. I love that we've reached a point in life where I can say to my adult kiddos, "You guys decide with each other when you want to do Christmas and just let me know." And what I love even more is that they actually do just that ... they talk and decide the day and the time. All I have to do is clean my house and cook some food, and it is amazingly awesome. My kids probably don't realize how much I appreciate them doing all the planning and coordinating of their schedules ... it really does eliminate a lot of stress for me. I'll tell you a secret, though ... what I love most about gatherings like this is that my kids plan them together. There have been times over the years when they ... ummm ... didn't get along well enough to pull together an event like we shared today. What I love most is that they do it together ... watching your adult children talk and listen and plan a time when we can all be together is pretty much one of the coolest things ever. Yep, it surely, surely is.
We Skyped with Matt, Becca and C.J., and though my heart longed for them to be sitting in my small family room, I was grateful for the technology that allowed us to see one another from country to country. Of course, C.J. got to pull everything out of the big box I had mailed to Canada, and of course, she got to do that first ... of course she did, she is the Queen after all. We all enjoyed listening to her baby babble and seeing her smile as she played with her new toys, and I silently thanked God once again for my children (all six of them) and my precious little Coraline. If you're a parent, I know you'll understand these words ... there are times when you look at your adult children and marvel at the people they have become ... there are times when you feel that your heart will surely burst with the love you have for them ... there are times when you know that you certainly don't deserve the love they give you in return. Yesterday, friends ... yesterday was one of those times for me as I tried to soak in every moment. And for those of you whom I know are wondering ... of course I cried, but only once. Matt and Becca gave me a calendar filled with photos (many of which I had never seen before) of C.J. ... pictures of her with Matt and Becca, pictures of her with me, even a picture of Andy the wiener dog sleeping next to C.J. when she was a newborn. I used to make calendars like that for my mom with pictures of Matt, Brad and Meghann, and Mom always said those were the best gifts I ever gave her. For the first time, I get it ... I totally get why Mom said that.
Now I'm sure you are wondering what in the world my opening paragraph about Oliver the wiener dog's chewing of the sugar-free gum package could possibly have to do with the time I spent with the kiddos yesterday. So here it is ... here's the giant lesson God wanted me to get, the lesson He wanted me to get and bury way down deep in my soul. Life is so very, very, very short, and life as I know it can change in the blink of an eye. Life is short, and I absolutely must savor and treasure every moment I have with those whom I love so dearly ... I must make the most of those moments, friends. I must be careful to tell my children how much I love them every single time I speak with them ... I must be careful to hug them tightly every time I am with them ... I must snuggle my two furry buddies every time they come wagging.
Life is short, friends ... treasure the moments ... make memories that will last forever ... love each other with true abandon ... I'd say that's a pretty big lesson indeed.
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