Create A Happy Past

Happy New Year!
Yes, it’s true that I let myself be swept away by the holidays, and have neglected my blog for the past month, but it was worth it, creating and celebrating and enjoying friends and family. I made cookies and candy and Christmas bread, knit girlie hats for my two new girl grandbabies, decorated our home for Christmas, designed and created , printed and mailed a Christmas newsletter, ordered and shopped , wrapped and shipped Christmas presents, hummed carols and attended advent church services with my husband, John, and celebrated the season with friends before driving 1200 miles to celebrate with two of our three daughters and their families.
I am sorry that our third daughter’s family could not be part our gathering this year; travel with three babies ages 2, 3 and 4 mos. is nearly impossible. Still we thought of them with love, and sympathized with the memorable holiday they were experiencing far away: their family was stricken with a flu bug that tore through their holidays. My family has suffered at least two holidays like that, and they are definitely memorable, but not in a good way.
The season of faith and hope and love and joy celebrates qualities that are especially important in this year full of uncertainties. As time passes (read I grow older) I realize more than ever that one needs to live in the moment. I try to let myself enjoy it, savor it, because in each minute I am creating my past. I’ve never been good at committing words that I love to memory, but I remember quite a few Paul Simon lyrics. One that I actually carry around so that it’s handy is “Preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you.” Now my daughters accuse me of having “selective memory,” because I automatically delete bad stuff that happens, but that’s what works for me. I try not to let unhappy times crowd out the wonderful days I’ve had on the face of the earth. For me, time spent with the next generations is always precious time, time to share and enjoy and celebrate.
So happy new year to you. May you create many happy memories, a wonderful past.