Christmas came early for me last night. Along with the long awaited arrival of Ryan was a surprise. Many surprises!! Ryan, aka Santa Claus or my own Christmas elf, brought a bag full of Christmas ornaments from my friends in Dallas and my sister in law in Kansas! As I unwrapped and looked at each treasure I couldn't decide between smiling until my cheeks hurt of crying because of how loved I felt! So I stuck with the smiling and simply enjoyed each Christmas hug. I cannot replace all the things that were lost but with this box I will make new memories and they, too, will be special. As always with Ryan there was a story to tell about the ornaments. How they arrived on his front door in a BIG box. So big , in fact, he took a picture and sent it to Russell... I laughed out loud as I imagined him shaking his head and saying..what now? :) But he worked hard to bring me as much as possible and I am still sitting here overwhelmed. Although this Christmas we will be missing the US AND Abu Dhabi, I feel so loved and blessed. Ryan is asleep upstairs. We have dear friends from AD here visiting for a bit. Russell will be here soon. Our friends and family in the US haven't forgotten us. And God, the Creator of the Universe, sent His Son to earth. Emmanuel, God with us.!
Still smiling.
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| Sallie decorates the poinsettia pots while Robert plays Christmas music. Getting into the spirit. |
