Bone In The Throat

Christmas Day was great here.

I did get back to sleep, Jesse let me back into the bed with a minimum of grumbling. An hour or so later, Jesse was laying on his back with his head on my shoulder. What woke me up was that my shoulder and arm were asleep

When I finally got up I started the day with The Jethro Tull Christmas Album playing throughout the house. Apple Music had a pretty nice medley of classic Christmas Tunes so I fired that one up. It’s nice to not have to worry about music.

It was Die Hard day!!!! 

I feel at peace for the first time in a year. Yes, there’s stuff that I need to get done but I’m not freaking out about it and it’s all going to be fine!

I found the infamous Frog Star the day before Christmas Eve. In a strange turn of events I also found my large Tumi briefcase.

Honestly, I thought I’d lost it in the fire. I’m sure that Jerry told me he’d found it, but I was focused on looking forward and not interested in picking through the ruins at the time. It’s also possible I thought he was talking about another briefcase that I hadn’t used in years. Either way, I wasn’t paying attention because there was so much going on at the time I couldn’t be concerned with “Little Stuff”.

The briefcase was in really good shape. It looks like Jerry had wiped it down, and put it in a box, no doubt thinking he’d remind me about it later. Then he and I both moved on to the 10,000 other priorities in front of us, forgetting about a lot of “Little Stuff”.

So there I was, standing in the basement, holding a briefcase that I loved and had forgotten about. I opened another box and right on top of all the ornaments was the Frog Star. 

I brought both items upstairs. The Frog Star was installed on top of the Christmas tree. The Tumi case I took to the counter and really inspected.

It was mostly undamaged. There were some scuffs but nothing bad, I started checking the zippers and as they opened I found receipts from 2007, I found a hardcopy of an email from my (then) new job, and a set of nice wired earbuds. Without thinking too much I got a leather conditioner and started working on the bag. 

When I was finished, the case looked great. There are some character marks but the briefcase is completely usable. It’s like I got a Christmas present from Jerry. 

Oh I’m sure I’d have found the case going through the basement, but the timing and reason I found the case seem intertwined at least circumstantially.

I’ve got a neat, smaller Tumi briefcase that I picked up 3-4 years ago and have been using.

Now, I have another briefcase should I ever un-retire and return to work where I need a larger size. I like the “character” the case has. It reminds me of one of my Stetson hats. That one survived the fire too. I was amazed when I pulled it out of its box. The box was burned and charred but the hat inside was just dirty. I cleaned it up and have been wearing it since. There are a couple of character marks but you have to really look hard to find them.

I appreciate the “survivor” items from the fire. Most of the Christmas ornaments are in that category. I could have set up the largest of the trees we have, then all the ornaments would have been out on display. But this year the smaller tree just felt “Right”.

Next year, I’m thinking I’ll do a big tree. Hopefully I’ll be wherever I’m going to be… Perhaps I’ll host the family get together.

I’ve got to get busy craving out that future.

It’s supposed to be a beautiful sunny day.

I don’t know yet because the sun hasn’t topped the mountain to the east yet. I’m guessing that it will be pretty.

I was planning on sleeping late, but forgot to turn off the alarm. Maybe I’ll go back to bed.

Jesse hasn’t seemed interested in leaving his spot so the bed will still be warm. The question is, can get him to move enough that I can get back under the covers? It may require bribery!

Yes, his head is on my pillow!

I may just get in on the other side of the bed. If I’m quick enough, he won’t have time to move where I’m trying to lay down.

Oh, did I not mention it? He likes to play “King of the bed”. He thinks it’s funny as hell, I on the other hand don’t when I’m freezing my naked butt off trying to get back under the covers.

I can hope against hope that he’ll give me a Christmas present of letting me back in the bed before anything important freezes solid and falls off.

In any case, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve!

Seems like just last year we had one of these…

My year has staggered by. Some months and weeks have flown by, others dragged by like a slow scrape on your knee.

Remember those? You fell off your bicycle just slow enough that you knew you were going to scrape your knees and feel every rock or sharp bit of asphalt cutting into you until you came to a bloody stop. Somehow after you stopped the pain increased 10X. So your child mind was faced with the horns of a dilemma, you weren’t sure you wanted to stop, because the scraping wasn’t as painful as stopping.

Here we are again. Almost finished with another spin around the sun. I know it’s supposed to be a happy time. I’m not unhappy. I’m having a bit of a time holding onto the “Joy of the Season”.

It’s possible that it’s my age, the commercialization, that it’s the first Christmas without Jerry, that I’m just exhausted, or that I’ve paid a little too much attention to politics this last year. Any or all of the above may have dampened my holiday spirit. 

Face it, ain’t shit we can do about most of the things going on, so why focus on it?

That’s my major… perhaps my only resolution. I’m going to ignore as much as possible, and what I can’t ignore I’m going to try very hard to not get pissed about it.

One or more of my friends will probably be struggling with the same resolution. Maybe we’ll have to start a support group like AA.

Should we call it News Anonymous? Could work… as long as there’s bourbon.

The only things I want for Christmas are a little more strength and patience. Those gifts don’t have to be purchased or wrapped. They come from the big guy upstairs, and I’m hoping that I’ll wake to those gifts in my heart tomorrow morning.

My plan is to have a “Normal” Christmas Eve.

In years past, Jerry & I would make a light dinner, then we’d pour a glass of wine for him, bourbon for me, make popcorn or other snacks, and sit on the couch together watching Classic old Christmas themed movies.

The Bishops Wife springs to mind. A Christmas Story, National Lampoons’ Christmas Vacation, Donovans Reef, Operation Petticoat, Die Hard (sorry Mr. Willis.)

We’d just pick one at random and enjoy being together.

In recent years, neither of us wanted to be out on Christmas or New Years Eve.

If for some reason, we were out, I was the one doing the driving. That was okay with me. Jerry could imbibe and not worry about falling asleep on the ride home. He used the benefit of marrying a night owl only once or twice a year. It was always a pleasure to see him soundly sleeping leaned against the car window. Without saying it, he told me he felt safe and protected. I took pride in his feeling secure.

While I thank everyone for their kind invitations. This year I feel like I need to be here in the home we built and shared. I feel like I want to have that light meal, some popcorn, a bourbon, and watch a movie.

I need to close the chapter on our lives together. I need to do it with intention and purpose.

I set up a little tree in a call-back to his gift of a little tree in a bucket our first Christmas. The tin foil star from that first tree is proudly on top of this tree. There’s a symmetry that is comfortable and right.

Call it facing reality head on and that’s healthy.

I’m happy and sad at the same time.

I miss him terribly, that makes me sad.

Yesterday, I was playing music and found myself crying several times, it was like waves crashing on me. After each wave, I felt a bit better.  

I accidentally found the original, (and unlabeled,) tracks of a Christmas CD we’d put together years ago. Hearing him playing the harp really wrecked me, but again, I felt better afterwards.

I’m happy mostly for the season, and that I have several really supportive friends, and have had the time to work through the loss on my schedule, unhurried. I’ve been very fortunate.

Perhaps on some level I’ve received a gift of distance and understanding. 

From the moment he died, I’ve always known I had to carve a future. An early Christmas gift I’ve received is that now for the first time, I’m beginning to see a future having brightness and light. I’ll still miss him, I’m sure of that, but I’m starting to believe I’ll be okay.

That’s the best gift of all.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

Love

D.