I am fortunate enough to have a great family. We all get along (most of the time) and support one another. This means I always enjoy our family gatherings during the holidays.
A few years ago on Christmas Eve we all gathered at my sister Kelly’s house, as we do every year, to exchange gifts. This tradition has special meaning for all of us, since Kelly bought our childhood home from our parents when they downsized. There are obviously many differences between the Christmas Eve celebrations we had growing up in that house and the ones we have today, but some things have remained the same. The children still rush eagerly to the presents and tear into them as quickly as possible. The adults still get to enjoy good food and the companionship of family as we (somewhat more calmly) exchange our own gifts. The dynamics between us have changed as we have grown older and had children of our own, but it is still a great joy to be able to spend time with my mom and my siblings.
Midway through that Christmas Eve a few years ago, I noticed my older sister Margaret, a long-time art teacher and current school administrator, working with our 12-year-old niece on a drawing using art materials from a present our niece had received. Ever the teacher Margaret was listening to our niece and encouraging her as she drew. It turns out the drawing was a picture of me – I was sitting across from them. I absolutely loved the drawing when my niece showed it to me. I just wish she had given me a little more hair!
Towards the end of the evening I watched my niece go over to her Aunt Margaret and give her a warm, heartfelt hug and thank her for helping my niece with her drawing. I smiled and remembered the previous week’s Words of Encouragement essay, in which I talked about the value of really listening to our children.
I want to thank many of my readers for the wonderful comments I got in response to last week’s Words of Encouragement about my father. It was extremely special for me to be reminded of how many other lives he touched and to know how many other people also loved him. I also want to wish everyone happy holidays and a happy new year. I hope that you all get to spend the holidays with your families.
I’m going to be taking a break over the holidays, but I will begin posting new Words of Encouragement again on January 11th. Thank you for being part of the Ro’s Words of Encouragement community. I can’t wait to see what the coming year will bring!
Happy Holidays,
Ro