At Tree's End

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I've gotten to do a bunch of things during my time over the last week as a temporary Canadian that I've never done before, creating memories for me that will last a lifetime. All of the new adventures have been awesome, but not one of them can compare to two firsts from today ... nope, not a single one of those incredibly awesome experiences can even come close. Seeing my granddaughter's eyes when she awakened and discovered that Santa had visited her house while she was "seeping" was ... well, words can't begin to describe how precious and sweet this morning was ... watching her as she opened her presents while she kept saying over and over, "Santa come Boo's house." Nope, words can't begin to do justice to the way I felt as I watched her this morning, nor can they begin to describe the emotion that swirled deep within my heart as I watched my son play his guitar and sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to his adoring daughter ... that was without question one of the sweetest moments of my entire life. 

One of the gifts Matt and Becca gave me this morning was a handmade ornament ... I've long said that the best gifts are the ones made from the hands of someone who loves me, and this morning's gift proved that premise once again to be true. It was a small, flat piece of wood with some very special words written on it ... words that touched my soul when I read them ... words that I instantly knew would stay with me for the rest of my life ... words that reminded me once again that it's the little things in life that mean so very, very, very much. That small piece of wood will be a forever reminder to me that the people who truly love me ... the people who love me without definition or parameter or condition ... will always love me just the way I am. 

I was weary when I arrived in Canada one week ago ... weary to the core of my being, physically, emotionally and mentally. Though I hate to fly, I felt compelled to make this trip for many reasons, and for once in my life, I'm so glad I followed my heart and overcame one of my irrational fears and got on a plane and traveled here to spend Christmas with Matt, Becca and Coraline. I desperately needed some time away ... I needed a break from my routine ... I needed to just be Ghee for a while ... to just be Mom for a while ... to just be me for a while.

Oh, and the ornament? It was a piece of wood that Matt cut from the bottom of their first real Christmas tree ... a symbol of life ... a symbol of family ... a symbol of love.