I began countdowns back in 2008, with the launching of this site; I kept them up for a couple years, mostly counting down to upcoming trips, holidays spent with daughters in fun places, things like that.  Then came college completion – two undergrad degrees and now grad school, one semester shy of  an MA. I still took the celebratory trips to the South and the Northeast, but the prep was usually hectic, coming at the end of a semester during which household maintenance (dusting/washing floors) was not a priority.

It became a quick blast through the house, not as thorough as it was at one time when I followed my mom’s example for leaving on vacation. That is something I’ve not outgrown, though Mom remembers it differently. Just the other day in talking about my upcoming travels, a friend said, “Oh yeah, you’re one of those women…” and we both smiled.

This week the tasks loom large.  My living room has become a repository of textbooks and reference books, sorted into stacks; some of the books will simply be re-shelved here today. Others will be boxed according to owner, mostly divided between my dad, whose vast personal library is a treasure trove and my friend/study partner, whose educational path I am following and from whom I’m able to borrow textbooks. 

 What used to be the dining table is now an expanded desk, full of papers, folders, receipts, etc., that will be addressed tonight and tomorrow. Then, to quote Rosanne Rosannadanna, from back in the day, “it’s always something.” Yep, an unexpected power outage around 11:15 this morning.  I did, however, handle all the stacks in the living room during the outage.  

     I’m back at my computer – dining table, cleaning, laundry, packing – still ahead, but all is well and I will just keep moving, counting down the days until planes have taken off and landed, hugs have been exchanged, and we  begin celebrating – seven days.  Be blessed, make it a memorable Christmas with family and friends; I sure will.  

     We will be celebrating the reason for this holiday season – Christ’s birth. Enjoy the music, dance around your kitchen; be merry and blessed †

                                                        Joyeux Noël !!