Better than I thought

December 23. Whew! Just 3 more days and my holiday season is past. It will be a relief.

I must say, though, that I am feeling less outright pain than I thought would be the case. Instead of the constant throbbing it was after Mom died, this pain comes and goes. Granted, in heavy waves that toss my little boat, but at least it's intermittent.

This loss of Dad feels so very different than losing Mom did. My age, his age, the duration of his illness, the stability of my marriage. I suppose all those things have combined to make this seem just a little bit easier.

And I am surrounded by the most incredible friends. I can't emphasize this enough. Don't get me wrong. My family is wonderful and I value them incredibly. But having this many friends who deeply care about me, nurture me, look out for me, listen to me, help me laugh, allow me to talk - I cannot adequately express my heartfelt thankfulness for them. As I told someone recently, "They are like a hammock in which I lie."

So today I'll finish up odds and ends, then there's a mad rush for 3 days, then it all settles back down, like a cloud of dust on a dirt road after the roaring pickup truck drives by.

So thankful for the Gift that is the motivation for all this hoopla. So thankful that I can express my gratitude all year long. Thankful for many things...