Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Back to normal
Everywhere I went yesterday I heard people say now that Christmas is over it will be a relief to resume some sense of normalcy. Apparently it is time to get back in the saddle and ride the normal ranges of our lives. For me that means getting back into my walk and work routine.
However, this last week has been filled with the joy and energy of hosting a six year old and a four year old in the confined space of our small condo. When the little sparkplugs got too charged up, Jackie would take them to our underground parking garage to run off some of the voltage. They also visited Creve Coeur park’s playground on the two occasions when the sun was sort of shining. Yesterday they got to swim in the small pool of the Drury Inn up the street from us. That must have really worn them out because they were unusually quiet the rest of the day.
Last night Jackie took a couple of hours to get together with some high school friends, and celebrate a birthday. Another year in their forties arrives for these kids that I remember as teenagers. I think it’s wonderful that these friendships are cemented so solidly, so we were glad to have the boys to ourselves for a few hours. We watched “Home Alone 3” which is just as silly as numbers 1 and 2. Cameron declared that he didn’t just like the movie – he loved it! Of course we had to play a couple of rounds of “Sorry”, the ultimate revenge game. As we played, Xander watched episodes of “Bluey”, a cartoon from Down Under. It seems that there is no such thing as having seen each episode multiple times. The episodes only last about 10 minutes and present a little positive life lesson. It is cutely annoying to me as an adult.
Today is their last full day in Saint Louis. I think it will include a trip to the Magic House with their other grandma, who has recovered – mostly – from an unfortunate encounter with Covid. The sad news is that their grandpa continues to test positive and feel poorly, so there has been no contact with him this whole week. The only consolation is that all four of us grands are going to New Jersey in February for Xander’s fifth birthday.
Today while they are off and running I will make some work related intake calls. Despite the holiday, people are still in need of immigration help and I have a list of calls to return. This is something that I can do here at home, so I will get in a few hours today. Tomorrow I will go to work after dropping Jackie and the boys at the airport.
This weekend our little Christmas tree will be stored in our storage space in the garage along with the greenery and candles on our mantle. That will be my signal that 2023 will soon be in the history book. I’m hoping that on New Year’s Day, Rose and I can watch some football. I’ll be up early to watch the parade in Pasadena. Then on January 3, Jan and I will board a Southwest flight to Los Angeles for a few days with Ted and Sarah. I can’t express how happy it makes me to spend time with both children this Season. It is a gift that is absolutely priceless.
So, 2024 will begin with two trips to each coast. When my kids were little I always advised them to never pass up a chance to travel. They took me seriously and have made their homes and lives away from Saint Louis. I’m glad for them, and a little sorry that I ever handed out such advice!