We are caretakers for our parents and if that process means that this year one of us is in one state and the other in another state at Christmas….then we cheerfully accept that and herald our Lord and King as the angels once sang. We are privileged to serve in this manner.
We had hoped that my father-in-law would have been ready to travel by this coming Friday but there has been another setback…the dear old guy is so ready to get out of the rehab. And for us as a family, a few weeks has turned into a few months, we are ready as well.
In the middle of the afternoon, one of the daughters went with me to the nursing home to visit our cousin Helen in order to deliver her turkey leg. This is the same dear woman that I visited on Thanksgiving. Mom was not able to go today because she was in pain. We stayed for a while and chatted with her. I promised to visit her again for the next holiday.
After that I came home and we gave the grandparents their 1st day of Christmas gifts. Nothing exciting, Mom got a pancake pan that she had requested and I gave Dad a silverware box that sits on the table. Not that he was excited about that but it will help them keep their silverware close at hand. Shortly after that all three girls left, two to bring in firewood and one got a call from a friend in Australia. So I sat and talked with the parents a bit about this and that then said my good-nights. I think it ended up being a nice enough day for them. They have had another Christmas together and that is important to them at this time in their lives.