Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmas long ago

It was the year we started our adoption journey. I had (again) switched jobs in search of fulfilling that emptiness inside me. Larry was coaching football and wrestling at the high school where he teaches. We did the 'usual' preparations for Christmas...decorating, parties, gifts, and yet, there was such an empty feel to it all.
Larry is Jewish and try as he might, his experiences of Christmas had been limited to observing from afar. He did, however, understand that this was a significant time full of wonderful memories for me...memories that connected me to family, to church, to friends. As I bemoaned the lack-luster holiday spirit, he rushed out on Christmas Eve. He returned home with a bag full of Christmas items....the specifics escape me now but I seem to remember candy for stuffing our stockings along with an assortment Christmas chotschkies ...
Little did we know that only a year later we would be celebrating Christmas with our darling baby daughter and our hearts would be full of love and wonder of the season.