It is amazing to me that 3 teenage grandsons want to get up long before sunrise and shop with grandpa for their own Christmas gifts. We start with homemade hot chocolate which I put into their thermos mugs and off we go. After we hit a couple main stores we hit the restaurant for breakfast. We wrap up with a couple more stores and then back home by 10:00 am. I’m not sure what they do the rest of the day but I do take a recliner nap in the afternoon! It is a fun moment which they and I both enjoy.

As Christmas begins to enter into the picture this year I find myself regrouping. After Kathy’s stroke last year on Black Friday the world came to a stop for a time. Since then it has taken a different route which I’m learning. The things we did are no longer “we”. I do the Christmas shopping with the boys and Kathy is content to give everyone money. I’m good with that and everyone else is too. I reflect on the Christmas seasons of our past and smile. Today I smile that we can still enjoy this season differently, but we can enjoy it together. God is always good and I thank Him for it!