It was 8:30ish in the morning, the day before Christmas. Still in bed curling up inside the warm quilt, I felt a bit sore from yesterday’s tiredness. A friend of my husband’s and his family came to visit around the area, and were invited for the dinner. I worked late into night to clean up the kitchen after they were gone.
Seriously, the company does not have the day before Christmas off? I apolitically told my daughter that the family could not go out today as planned since Dad had to work. She agreeably nodded, saying that she may have to work from home too, as a late last night email from the boss and the team indicated. Oh, well, I guess ……
When I was downstairs preparing for the breakfast, it was cloudy and cold. A familiar rumbling sound from two blocks away came dimly. It dawned on me that it was Monday, the day our garbage is collected. I hurriedly rolled out the garbage bin, a move I normally did the night before.
It’s Christmas Eve Day. While most companies have the day off, not every company or every working people has that luxury. Think of the stores that are open, think of those who still work today, like the garbage collector, think of the open stock market (though it crashed again). Compared with them, I am lucky.
The daughter is back home for Christmas after a yearlong absence, or to be more exact, a year and five months from the time she left for Seattle last August. Her presence means more than filling the void, but brings along with fresh air, the long-missed laughter and merriment. For two consecutive nights, we drove her to the big mall and the beachfront houses, to immerse ourselves in the festive Christmas lights lit luxuriously, a tradition they have been observing every year.
There is only a week left for 2018. Are we ready for 2019 yet?
回复 '7grizzly' 的评论 : Absolutely right.One's material joy declines with ages. We are no longer that thrilled at the sight. What we work or sacrifice for is for the smiles on their face, a thing we call unconditional love. We now long more for peace of mind or a simple life. Happy holiday, my friend.
水沫 发表评论于
真漂亮，好有气氛的片片~~岁岁年年景相似，有女儿陪伴就不一样~问好暖冬，节日快乐~~
7grizzly 发表评论于
Great pics! Kids would simply marvel at them, but as an adult, I would ask "what does all this have to do with life, or in particular, this life?" And the answer would be that beauties make my daily grinding worthwhile. Enjoy!
