This weekend I am writing to you from the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston Texas. (Don't be jealous – it is cloudy, chilly and windy.)
I am seeing our NASA/Engineers Without Borders friends tonight – rocket scientists and maybe an astronaut or two? (Sounds like a scene from I Dream of Jeannie, right?) We have partnered with them on an orphanage/school project in Rwanda for many years, and now a new African project is in development.
I had enough hotel points to pay for a few free hotel nights at the end of the year, and I needed one more quick trip to clinch my Gold flier status, so here I am for 48 hours!
When I updated my Christmas card address list, I had to take off 7 names, including Paul's dad. I don't remember taking so many names off my list before, so I guess it is just another sign that we are all getting older, and it is the season to think about what is most important in life. My brother and his kids are visiting this week, and it will be fun to share our new puppy with them. Paul and our kids will travel to Hawaii for his dad's military funeral next week. (He was a WWII veteran.)
I am sitting in the lobby of a 100 year old hotel that has withstood many hurricanes, and I am watching a bridal party pass by. I watch as families with children tumble past, some tenderly holding snuggling babies, and a smiling Grandma slowly follows with her walker and red Christmas sweater.
I am thinking about all the celebrations and circles of Life that have passed through this big old lobby, and I smile as the young father tosses his giggling daughter in the air. It is the season for love, for memories, for giving from the heart, and for graciously opening up to receive the gifts of the season.
May the beauty of the season bring many blessings of the heart to you and your loved ones.
