Christmas in My Other Home

I stayed at my sister's house for the first two days. We went shopping, had lunch together, laughed at ourselves and talked..., and talked about everything.

I went to see Mom. Brought her a little tree with Christmas decorations and small pine cones on it. I wished her a Merry Christmas and we talked..., and talked...

On Friday I went to my son and daughter-in-law's house. This, of course, is also the home of my two beautiful grandchildren. What a coincidence!We had so much fun. I slept in Baby Bean's bed which was very comfortable. Life never stops when you are a child except when you're asleep..., so Noni slept very well at night.
My oldest grandchild, The Bean, has taken up Photography. I'M SO PROUD! He is learning the nuances of a point and shoot digital camera. We took LOTS of pictures. This is very serious business for him. I think he has inherited my genes. The ones that let him see the world more clearly though the lens of a camera. He also makes really funny faces.
My youngest grandchild, Baby Bean, seems in awe of the whole Christmastime, decorations, lights, presents thing. I see magic in his eyes. While The Bean is wanting to know how the big Santa man is going to get down the chimney , Baby Bean is content to listen to Mom read him a story and watch a Christmas CD. He's at one with the spirit of the Holiday.
Saturday The Bean and I spent the day at the Martinez Marina. I will have photos of this tomorrow. That night I Noni-Sat the boys so Mom and Dad could go out for dinner together. I think that was like a major Christmas present for them. I could see it in their eyes and hear it in their thankyou's.
On Sunday I drove to my oldest son's house in Oakland. He took me to Mass at Saint Jarlath's Catholic Church. I wanted to go back to this beautiful, stone church where I had lit a candle for Mom right after she died. This is not my son's church but he took me because I asked him too. It was the most beautiful experience a few months back..., lighting the candle, saying the Lords prayer in a small chapel inside the church and having my son say this prayer, in Latin, for his "Noni" and for his mother. After this Mass, on Sunday, we went into the little chapel and lit another candle for Mom.
My Mother was raised Catholic, my son adopted the faith as an adult and I'm the person that fell in between. I used to call myself a "closet Catholic" because of the pull that it seemed to have on me as I was growing up. I'm sure that some of this influence was Mom's "fish on Fridays" habits that she never let go of. She didn't raise us as Catholics. It's a long story for another day, but the pull is still there and so it is that I always love sharing this experience with my son.

I came home yesterday..., tired, happy and feel the strength of being able to do this kind of traveling I do. Feeling thankful for Family and knowing that even though I can't always be everywhere and do everything that I want to, I am so lucky to have the life that I have: To share my world with people who are good, caring, loving human beings and to know how fortunate I am to have them all in my life.
Now I need to go and hug my husband, play with Carl and get back into his good graces( he's a little upset with me for all this leaving), feed the goats and chickens, go for a hike in the woods and, as my blog friend Laura, in Georgia, would say... " I'm gonna get me some lovin'." It's a "southern" expression. I'm probably not saying it right but you get the idea.

Tomorrow we will all go to Martinez with The Bean. Please join us.