Believe in the mystery, the miracle, and the magic.
Believe in angels and the natural wonders and the beauty inside people.
Believe in a bright-and-shining new year ahead.
I'm so happy I have this blog. I sat here thinking of my dad and found myself scrolling through my posts. It's hard to relive some of the bad stuff but there is so much good stuff in every post. It's so wonderful to be able to go back and read it. I have not been able to bring myself to finish my 8 scrapbook pages of my dad for my family album, these posts are so wonderful to read back over.
I've been flooded with memories these past few days - especially with school out of the way for the semester and my brain able to focus on other things. Last night we drove through Santa's Magical Kingdom and I took the same darn picture I take everytime - it happens to be the best spot to see the most lights in my humble opinion.
'We' included myself, Haley, my mom, and my two nieces - Jessica and Donal. We then took a drive down old town Eureka and over to Forrest Run. Oh the memories....
First we had to check out our old neighbors who just put lights on every available space. My pics do not do them justice.
Then we drove a street over and showed the girls Cliff and Delours's old house. And I was completely amazed at how far it really was from our house, and used to ride my bike to their house by myself. I played out in the streets till the lights came on. I was all over that neighborhood. And the cute Simmons boys lived right down the street, and the mean older boys who scared the crap out of us every halloween.
I love Christmas. And I love driving through the lights. And I loved my own special Christmas's with Cliff and Deloures. I would go to their family Christmas at Mary's house and David would patiently play with me and I would marval at Becky's grown up room. Then one year Mary and Becky started making me feel like a grown up. I still have every pair of ear rings Mary and Becky ever gave me and I still have my Snoopy bank full of change.
I'm number 3 in a line of 4 girls and sometimes the quiet one got lost in the shuffle. But the Hagoods and the Morrissey's had the knack of making me feel like an only kid. I still think about Mary and her family every Christmas and I can't drive through Santa's Magical Kingdom without craving candycanes - always chewed on them in Cliff's car driving through the Lady and the Snow (I think that was the name).
Mom and I had a good time pointing out house and telling the girls stories - they probably snored through it all, I don't know.
My favorite Christmas memory was just a few years ago and I had no idea just how special it would be till I got out my Christmas decorations this year. I have a wooden reindeer that is like a puzzle, the feet fit just right to the body, the antlers fit just right to the head. My Grandma Parrish had one in her house and after she passed, my sister Sheri got it. The year my dad was diagnosed, and before they told any of us girls, he borrowed that deer and made one for the rest of us girls. Cut them, stained them, painted them, and added a ribbon. With help from my Mom and from Mike's son (you know Mike, my brother who is not my brother).
Don't get me wrong, I've mentioned lots of memories with the Hagoods and the Morrissey's but I certainly have lots of memories with my parents. But truth be told, my mom was the ring leader and Christmas and my dad carried the packages. My memory of my dad Christmas morning is sitting in his recliner, smiling from ear to ear, as his girls giggled and laughed and tore into their gifts like crazy people. But this reindeer, this reindeer my dad made himself out of love after finding out he had stage 4 cancer.
That was 3 years ago, and Thank God I have the guts to talk to no one in particular on this blog and the passion to document everything. I can revisit those words and those pictures anytime I want. And you can too, just click on 'My Dad' under categories on the sidebar. And enjoy....
