Day 1 of Christmas Vaca
I sat next to a young man and his mother who were traveling hurriedly to Baltimore two days earlier than scheduled -- the whole family was to make the trip for Christmas, but they left early after hearing Grandpa was very sick, not doing well at all. I keep shooting up little prayers for my airplane friends. The guy and I were both raised military brats, and we related on the whole "nowhere is home" syndrome, the need to make friends quickly, Bible study, faith and family, etc. It was nice, and I was thankful that I didn't have to fly for 3 hours by the lady with the lampshade inside two stacked hats (that was her carry-on, which she nearly forgot when she disembarked in Little Rock--that would've ruined her lamp's Christmas, for sure).
The pace of my life upon arriving at home always slows immediately. My mom mentioned something about worrying about boring me after my "cosmopolitan life" in Texas. Yes, the pace slows, and yes, it takes me a couple of hours to adjust; however, my life is certainly not cosmopolitan as much as it is too busy, and the slower pace is a welcome respite. Won't last long, anyhow. I'm trying to make the most of every moment!
My mom has done a nice job of creating a festive tone in the home, while saving fun things like cookie-baking and tree-decorating for when I got here.
This tree is splendid! It complements the bookshelves amazingly! Its a real tree with perfect balance (thanks to my parents' magical tree-stand), and it looks the perfect shape. My parents have beautiful maroon and gold decorations, and then we add all the familia memorabilia decorations together. Did that lastnight, and talked to Nana on the phone.
My sister managed to come over with her baby bump for a couple hours, and we sat in our cozy living room as a family of 5(.5) for a few sacred minutes.
Then my Daddy completely succumbed to what seems to be the flu (what with sudden onset and all). Oh noes! This is making me so sad for him, because I can't see how he'll be able to enjoy the holidays. I am praying nonstop for him and for everyone else in the house. My Mama is particularly gifted in stopping the spread of infectious diseases, so I feel confident that the rest of us will be okay if we apply a few techniques( #1: faithful in prayer, patient in affliction). No reason for you to hold back if you feel led to join us in that whole thing!
Michele offered the suggestion of grapefruit seed extract, and I found a few websites about flu prevention that all pretty much suggest the same behaviors: 1. Sleep. 2. Drink lots of water. 3. Get *outside* and exercise. 4. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. 5. Avoid sugar and alcohol. 6. Reduce stress. 7. WASH HANDS. More detailed suggestions and links to other helpful articles can be found at www.fluhelp.org. I like the idea of drinking 3-6 cups of strong green tea per day.
Today I made sure to sleep until I woke up naturally! (Got a lot of catching up to do in that arena.) I did bring my running shoes so I am trying to figure out how to get warm enough to go outside, even for 15 minutes. Also my grandparents sent us a TON of citrus fruit, so I've been having grapefruit/oranges/tangerines since pretty much the moment I walked in the door yesterday.
So that's all for now! I probably won't have time to update this every day, but thankfully today is starting slowly. I hope everyone is enjoying these last few days of Advent and Christmas preparation. I am so happy to be slowed down for a moment.
Comments