Back on December 26, I blogged in the morning about some special Christmas gifts I'd received the day before from my four youngest sons. Those boys touched me so much with their generosity and thoughtfulness, as they always do. Shortly after hitting the "Publish Post" button, I had to pack up my computer and the rest of my things. Then we all hopped in the car and headed for my husband's childhood home in Upstate NY, where we would spend the week after Christmas catching up with family. It was there that we met up with my oldest son, his wife, and his twin baby daughters, who'd traveled a few hours east from their home to be with us. We did a belated gift exchange the evening of the 26th with my son's family...and once again, I was bowled over by the thoughtfulness of my children. (And I have six children now, did you know that? My oldest boy brought me a lovely daughter, after all those years with only sons.)Nothing against my son, who is a real sweetie pie and thoughtful in his own right, but "thoughtful" is truly his wife's middle name. Above is a picture of my Christmas gifts from those two kids, and I believe I can say with confidence that she is the one who is mainly responsible for them. She knit the slippers herself, and even made the little fabric flowers that adorn them. And she picked out the little journal for me, too, with pictures of vintage French postcards on the cover--so (now that I'm such a world traveler) when I'm on trips to exotic locales, I can keep a little record of all I see and do.
I can't think of any two items that better reflect my personality. I'm a real homebody--I can be almost hermit-like at times--and if I could live in a robe and slippers, I would! There's nothing better than the proverbial "snow day," when you can't go out anyway, you have nothing on your schedule, and you spend the day in lounge mode, reading or watching DVD's. No matter where I go in the world, and no matter how much fun I have there, I am always so happy to get back to my home-sweet-home. So these slippers were a perfect gift for me--not to mention the fact that I love gifts that are lovingly hand-made. However, in spite of this tendency to want to burrow, slipper-clad, in my cozy nest at home, I have also become interested in traveling to far-off places, an activity which until recently was well outside my comfort zone. In early December, I accompanied my husband on one of his working trips to Nice, and I had the time of my life! Nothing could have surprised me more than the fact that when it was time to return home--as the plane sat on the runway awaiting take-off and I looked longingly out my window at the waters of the Mediterranean Sea--I was sad that I couldn't stay longer! What had happened to that girl who claimed that, although her husband routinely flew to cities all over Europe, she had no interest whatsoever in seeing any of them herself? So a journal for keeping memories of such trips is as perfect a gift as the slippers. In fact, I may get to write in my new journal later in the month...if there's space available on the flights, Dublin and/or Amsterdam, here I come!
Thanks, kids, for these lovely and thoughtful gifts--two items I will use and cherish. I love you both!
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