Merry Christmas

It is hard to believe that Christmas Eve is here once again. I love this day. Our family always opened presents on Christmas Eve, so this day is full of memories. Today I truly miss my Mother. She always worked hard to make certain we had a good Christmas. Of course my Daddy always provided the check...without ever thinking about it, he just turned it over to Mother and she paid the bills, bought the groceries, clothing, furniture, etc. She was an excellent manager, and her bookkeeping skills consisted of a pencil, eraser, and a piece of paper. We saw some hard times, but with her good management, we pulled through.
Today we will celebrate with family. Unlike many families, our sides have mingled together as our gatherings include both "my" family and "David's" family, plus some of our children's families. We get along and enjoy being with one another. Sadly it seems these events are limited to holidays, but we take what we can get.
This has not been the best year. Of course the worst part has been Addi's headaches and the battle to get her some medical care. Thankful to God that we are in a good period (headache free for 6 weeks) and we thank Him for His mercy. We know that we live in a world set in motion and that the good suffer with the bad, but it is so hard to see a child suffer. If you spend a few days at Children's Hospital, you learn that suffering takes no holidays. This has also been a tough year for David's mom. She continues to suffer from reoccurring UTI's and when she has one, they really knock her for a loop. David is such a wonderful care-taker. He diligently sees to his parents needs, and just keeping up with the business end is a full-time job.
We have been blessed with good news this year, too. We have two new babies in our extended family- Emma Grace and Enoch. Lord willing, Hallie Kate Courington will be here in the spring (May) and we are so excited about her arrival. God is good.
Well, better run. I have two dishes to prepare and I have to get everything else together.
Merry Christmas and May God bless you with a wonderful new year!
Susan