In the chaos, remembering
Chaos. Uproar. Shouting. Banging. Plotting. Planning. Clacking. Calling. Praying.
It’s full-bore Christmas season at the Schrock household. As The Mister diligently labors, unhindered by the sounds of shouting and the pounding of feet at his office, this is what’s happening at the house.
They are all, if you will note, action words.
For the most part, the mood is happy. Lists abound. Even now, one resides on the oak dining room table with far too few items crossed out. That one, the offspring believe, is the Slavery List compiled by The Original Egyptian Slave Driver. The other lists are ones that scroll relentlessly through my head, waiting to be written down as part of the Official Record of What Must Be Packed/Completed. It’s crazy.
A big tom turkey sits in frozen repose in its own gravy, frozen solid in the back room freezer. A pan of lasagna large enough to feed a regiment joined him just this morning. Tucked on a shelf just above are cookies (the famous Schrock chocolate sandwich ones with cream cheese frosting). Just beneath that on the “Food That Must Go or I Shall Be Hung” list is the fudge – two kinds, plain and two-layer peanut butter.
There is bedding I must not forget, plus the cameras, enough clothes for a quartet and a half, and the thousand and one items that a large family needs for a trip. The clock is ticking. The countdown is on.
In the midst of the hoopla, I stop and remember. I remember what, exactly, the grand party is for. I catch a whiff of pine as I pause in the dining room, and I remember joy.
I remember, too, that only for this one Christmas will the children be this age. They will never be 21, 17, 12, and 4 again. How I long to freeze them all right – here. I savor the moment.
May this Christmas find you and yours healthy and happy, filled with thanksgiving and joy.
From our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas!
In order to give my undivided time and attention to our family, I will be unplugging from the blogsphere until next week. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for visiting, reading, commenting, and encouraging. Words can’t convey how much that means. Happy Christmas! Until then…