Christmas Night - A Thoughtful Thank You

It's Christmas night.

The house is quiet and dark. The only lights are those from the Christmas tree, a few candles warmly flickering around the room, and the soft glow from my computer screen.

Just a bit ago, I was standing in my darkened kitchen, looking out my window watching the moon cast it's silvery glow as I sipped a mug of tea (Comfort & Joy is the blend and it truly is!). It was so peaceful and I have to admit that after this last week, it was a comfort just to stand there and relax - allowing the last week's cares to finally slip away. I simply stood and enjoyed the sight and let my mind wander - something I haven't really done lately.

I thought of my family.

I thought of my friends.

I thought of my blessings.

It was a week ago tonight that I left the office full of plans, things I needed and wanted to accomplish that evening running through my head - scheduling, figuring, deciding.

It was a week ago tonight that everything changed in the blink of an eye when my little car was totaled in an accident.

To say that my plans for that evening (and the rest of the week) changed would be a proverbial understatement.

It was a week ago tonight that in a blink of an eye, I was blessed.

With the exception of some really incredible bruises (think concord grape) in some really incredible places and of some really incredible sizes, I am unscathed. The woman in the other vehicle is the same. We were both incredibly lucky. That is a blessing.

With a U-shaped front end, it is safe to say that my little car won't be doing any more traveling along life's highways with me. She was 10 years, 1 month and 18 days old. She had well over 100,000 miles on her, together we had made many journeys - not only to work but to visit family and friends in town and in other states. She provided me comfort and independence and in the end, she protected me from being further harmed. That is a blessing.

Shaky with shock, sore with bruised pain and unable to bring thoughts together in a consistent and cohesive manner, my friends and my family provided me with comfort, with support, with assistance and with love. That is a blessing.

Always the one to take care of the others, I learned the difficult lesson that it is alright to accept assistance from others - be they family or friends, near or far. I learned to practice what I preach and learned that sometimes the only thing we need to do is say "Thank You". That is a blessing.

It's now a week later. Plans were adjusted and Christmas, instead of being "ruined" because I was unable to travel, was modified and I spent it with my parents at my house instead of theirs. My little car is being replaced with a new model - one that won't require new tires, have a terrible oil leak, has a driver's side door handle that actually works without the window being rolled down, will provide air conditioning this next summer (something I haven't had the last two summers) and therefore will give peace of mind each time I'm on the road. I have found comfort in my friends. My head is now clearer and my heart is thankful.

Standing in my window, watching the moon's silvery glow on this Christmas night, I smiled.

Past is past. It's over. It's done with. It is time to move on with life.

Isn't that the gift of Christmas? With that first Christmas gift so many years ago - the past became past. The time had come to move on. Life became the blessing of Christmas. My life became a blessing this Christmas.

For that I say ... "Thank You".