let it snow

Sitting at the old wooden table on Christmas Eve on the edge of weeping. Scanning around the table to see all of my kids. All of my kids. From the oldest to the youngest, a rare treat for me. I felt like I was sitting behind a two way mirror, watching them interact. I was in it, but away from it all the same. They were sparring as siblings do, in a good natured way, but knowing which buttons to push. My youngest was having a meal that consisted mostly of mashed potatoes, not one to indulge in variety. My husband and oldest enjoying everything on the table. My youngest daughter, giddy as usual with sibling love. My oldest daughter, cautiously letting herself relax and enjoy the moment. The light above the table shown down on all of them. Illuminated all the best qualities they have, the things that make me love them down to my core. It was, perhaps, my most cherished Christmas. It made me melancholy, blissfully happy, and serene all the same. Family is fabulous.