Just a little moment of Merry, before reality sets in.

There was a horrid thing that happened to 28 people, and their families in Connecticut yesterday.  I was bombarded with images and listening to screaming and watching the death count of small children and educators.  I was traumatized at the news, it sickened me.  I heard about it on the way to see my mother.  I only have a day to be with her and this was to be our happy day.  Well - it's a lot of work to make mom happy these days as she is really slipping into sadness - so these days together need to really count.  I arrived at the house and she had already heard the news - with her memory failing, every 10 minutes she relived hearing the news as if it was the first time hearing it.  I made a choice to turn off the TV, and turn the oven on, and started making Christmas Cookies with her.  We put beautiful music on, we trimmed her house with beautiful lights, and we prepared boxes of goodies for people that had been so kind to her.  We drove them around to the houses and looked at the lights. That night we watched  'Scrooge' at the Old Barn where my nephew did a great job.  There wasn't much I could do to change the tragic events of the day - but I had control over having a memorable day with my mom.  Here's what happened on a snowy day in a warm kitchen that smelled like heaven... 

Aunt Mary Hill's 100 year old Ginger cookie recipe

aw yes - hot wassail on the stove next to the clam chowder....

frosting then dipping into the coconut...

each cookie was perfect.

So is she.

ok... well right up to the point where the nativity set up

went really wrong.  The two wise men on the left were running

off with the loot, the sheep were sleeping, the 3rd wise man

was hitting on Mary and please don't make me get into

whatever is going on with the shepherd and Joseph.

 

Overall... for a moment in time there was Peace on Earth

in the little town I grew up in, in our little home there

with my sweet mom that I love so dearly.

 

Tomorrow I'll shed the millions of tears

for the innocent children, the grieving parents,

the loss in a community,

and unanswered questions of why.

And wonder if the world will

recover from this one, and when

will the next one be.