SOCS – The Jingle Jangle of Mingled Thoughts

Today Linda has suggested using words that contain the letters ingle. Being this close to the Christmas holiday I am pretty sure Kris Kringle will be featured in many posts this morning. When my granddaughters were here last weekend, I was absolutely shocked when they said they had never seen ‘Miracle on 34th Street”.

Today is the first anniversary of my mother-in-law’s passing. We will go to the cemetery today. My friend, Lauren, reminded me of the Jewish custom of putting a single stone or rock on the gravestone. While we are not Jewish, it is a beautiful sentiment. Unlike flowers that die away quickly, a rock is long-lasting like the memory of your relative. Today we will take a couple of rocks from our place with us since my father-in-law is also buried there.

Last Sunday was the anniversary of my paternal grandfather’s passing. It was the first time since 1964 that I didn’t remember his passing immediately upon waking. I was 10 years old when he passed, and my brother and I found him lying on the hillside where he had gone to gather greenery and mistletoe for the holiday decorations.  This was one of the single most defining moments of my young life.

All these thoughts swirl and mingle in my mind allowing me to remember the losses but also maintain the joy. What grand and larger-than-life they both were. I am blessed for having shared my life with them.

Yesterday, hubby and I split up the errands. He went north to gather last minute items for Christmas and I stayed local. I went to one of the local grocery store chains which is luckily named Ingles. Now doesn’t that fit into SoCS nicely this week?

I was awakened by a video call from my two-year-old granddaughter this morning. She told me she was going to see Santa. It is always surprising to see her first thing in the morning because her hair is down. She has soft loose ringlet curls that are normally swept into pony tails to keep her hair out of her face. She was a ball of energy playing hide and seek with me on the phone.

We are still not sure exactly how our Christmas will play out because we have several family members to spend time with. Family is so important to us. All the presents are meaningless without family and friends who love and care for us.

I did not send a single Christmas or Hanukkah card out this year. I bought them with good intentions, but life has a way of playing out following its plan. We have family members who are ill and in the hospital – one with a broken hip – and those things are definitely a distraction. I have decided to mail them anyway, but taking the time to truly write a personal message inside each one rather than a hurried scribbled signature. It will be a nice way to spend the days following Christmas.

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SoCS is brought to us each week by Linda Hill. It is my Saturday guilty pleasures to sip coffee and read how people used the prompts. If you would like to join in, pop over to Linda’s blog for all the rules. You will find the individual contributions in the comments section.