Thanksgiving is behind us & Christmas is straight ahead, although it feels somber this year. Even with the neighborhood decorated in lights, the feeling is more serious. Sad really that a pandemic can grip us this much, with hold the meter rule ads on TV. One can tell it’s not a normal year.

It makes me sad, that we are so wrapped up in the meter rule & mask wearing. Over the weekend we went shopping & the store we went to was soo crowded-I was glad I had a mask on. The mall we went to was packed, I know people where out in droves because the R# had dropped significantly. Something I am really grateful for, but this year feels much different.

I doubt we’ll have a white Christmas-since it’s been pouring & the day time high is in the low 30’s or 5C. The ground is soggy & you sink in when you take the dog out. The dog doesn’t even like the weather outside, yesterday we had to put on his super cape with his harness when we went for a walk around the lake.

I wanted to mention the transition blog that’s over 12 years old, I have been cleaning up the entries I didn’t publish. But I really liked that one because it caught me off guard with how I described the terrible transitional program I was in. How a majority of the women that entered the program never completed the program & how the program didn’t offer you housing after that ONE year in their program.

2007-2008 was a hard year but it gave me a family I can count on namely my husband & his dog Sniffy. Sniffy is long gone but my husband & our new dog Flekk are not. That year taught who I could really count on & who I couldn’t. In a way I am glad because of the family I have a today began the Summer of 2007. When I was on the precipice of life someone pulled me back & took my hand.

It’s ironic how much I hated & dreaded Christmas as a child but now look forward to the holidays with my husband & our dog. Maybe it’s because he has never taken me for granted, even when things got rough in 2012-2013. That is the best Christmas present of all, to spend it with someone who truly cares is the best gift.