December is here ready or not!

Today is December the first, I can't believe it is here already. This time last year Brad had just returned home from a two year mission in the Philippines. I was so excited to see him that I didn't want to miss a minute with him so I had all my Christmas gifts made or purchased by the first of November. It felt so good to have it all done so that we could just hang out together. We needed new stockings (the old ones were 20 some years used) and I even designed and sewed all of them too before Christmas. Usually when December 1st hits, I can hardly wait to wake up in the morning to get started on all my holiday gift making or addressing Christmas cards. Yes, if there was ever a MRS.SANTA wannabe it was me! 

But here it is just a year later and life has changed so much. I once referred to having cancer is like taking the color out of your world, nothing stands out, nothing is as exciting and nothing looks very good. To live in a black and white world when you are so use to COLOR and lots of it, is very hard to deal with. We decided a week or so to cancel some of our traditional activities but I thought at least I could make some homemade cards while I am sitting around to send to everyone. But today I realized, that is not going to happen this year either. I just don't have the energy, strength or desire to spend my efforts on anything other than my normal day to day activities. And even those haven't been happening lately. Wow, I am shocked that this mono, plus trying to heal from surgery has taken so a toll on me, at least to this degree. The pain in my arm just doesn't settle down enough for me to want to do ANYTHING! I head to the surgeon's office again tomorrow and hopefully I will get the drain out, she said that doing that might help get rid of some of my pain...I sure  hope so.

I remember a quote that I heard on the Christmas specials called THE GRINCH , it is when he realized what Christmas was really all about. I know it is true and hope each of you remember that when you don't have anything homemade with love from the Woodard's this year. I know that I don't have to do gifts for everyone and especially homemade ones, but I really enjoy doing something special for all of you.  I guess this year will be different, but I know that everyone understands. For this year ..just being friends and family will be more than enough. I am just glad to be here this Christmas and pray that the pain and exhaustion will subside long enough for me to enjoy some of the magic of Christmas.

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.  What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.  ~Dr. Seuss