The Day After

Our house this morning, 12/26/14.

December 26, 2014
Day 240

'Twas the day after Christmas,
and all through my home,
not a thing was occurring,
not even a comb.

Andy and I thought and said the same exact thing when we woke up: "the day after".  Neither of us had to work, so we enjoyed a healthy sleep-in this morning.  When I did finally grab my mountain-climbing gear to lug myself out of bed, I walked outside with a long, loud yawn, turned up the heat, and looked around at the aftermath before me.  Little piles of presents here and there, Christmas cards and rolls of wrapping paper not needed now until next year, and everywhere I looked, I saw Christmas Past, right behind me now in the rear-view mirror.

Well, not exactly.  We keep our Christmas decorations up until early to mid-January, so much of the magic and light of the holiday stays around now for a while.  The mess that greeted me this morning will get tidied up in the hours (days) ahead, and we'll keep enjoying the beauty of the season for a while longer.

In this mean time though, I feel immense gratitude, not just for presents received yesterday, but for all the incredible time I spent with family.  I don't think I've laughed so much or felt so loved as I did yesterday in quite a long time.  It was just a beautiful, awesome, wonderful day spent with so many people I love so much.

So wherever you are today as you read this, I wish for you days like I had yesterday.  The aftermath of Christmas is often a messy house and a tall stack of reality to return to, but there's also a mist of love that will last for a long, long while!