Christmas Day 2009

For much of this year, I dreaded Christmas. I just wanted to pretend that December 25th is the same as any other non-holiday day. That just can't always happen. The sound of Christmas music playing on the radio, holiday commercials advertising Christmas Cheer, and all other sounds that made me wonder if I could have such Cheer facing the first Christmas without my father alive. The Christmas when there should have been little puppies running around frolicly with Millie and Willy. These wishes are but only thoughtful dreams. However, even with a rough start to Christmas Day, it turned out pretty good considering the sad thoughts. Here's how Christmas Day began.....

Midnight arrives, the recent Harry Potter movie is being played on our TV. We wish each other pleasantries with "Merry Christmas" and sharing a Christmas kiss. Exhausted and worn out from the recent cold, Dereck helped move me from a slumber on the couch to our comfortable bed. A deep sleep arrives. 4AM: Whiny Willy whimpers to address his need to relief himself. In a daze, I walk downstairs to allow Willy outside. Then, I notice the sharp pain from my ear. This pain is all too familiar. An ear ache announcing there is an ear infection. "Great! Merry Christmas to myself with pain in my ear. What am I to do?" I think to myself. I trudge back to bed after Willy returns in hopes to return to sleep for now. The ache doesn't allow my body to relax into a sleep. Back downstairs I go to research on the Internet for an urgent care that's not only open at 4:30 in the morning but on Christmas Day too boot. I'm in luck. Found one only 15 minutes from the house. Double checked by calling the location to ensure they're open. By the time I returned back to the house around 5AM, I've received confirmation of an ear infection, a prescription for Antibiotics, and drove past 3 different pharmacies near my house only to find they're all closed. I wondered to myself, "How am I going to survive Christmas with the family over if I can't get my hands on medicine to help relief the pain?" I return home to research on the Internet. Thankfully, taking Ibuprofen took the edge of the ear ache. I cleaned the downstairs completely in preparation for guests. Eventually, I did get my prescription and survived the day on minimal sleep. I'm sure I developed an ear infection in my other ear during the early afternoon. "Oh what fun it is to..." be sick on Christmas Day.

All in all, we had a great afternoon with family members close by to celebrate the gift of giving. The big surprise: No one cried (Sorry Mom, I couldn't read your present quite yet, I wasn't ready to cry in front of Dereck's family and get them started. I wanted to wait till it was a more private setting). With the year drawing to an end, I reflect on how I've grown through this last year, what I want to improve on, and how life is always changing. I've learned, somewhat, how to adapt to what happens in life. No matter how hard it is to be happy, happiness brings joy to life. As long as I'm doing something that makes me happy, usually teaching or doing something fun with Dereck, I have joy in life. Just as the song says, "Joy to the World," the reason for living is through Christ our Savior. This reason keeps pushing me forward to a new moment, a new day, and a new year.