'CELEBRATING' the Season

I've missed a few weeks but it's December and we've been busy!  We've decorated the 'worst looking' Christmas tree ever (according to our daughter, Marianne), decked the halls with the old tried and true decorations and set about filling our calendar with things that will bring a smile to our faces and our minds off our troubles as we usher in the 'Most Wonderful Time of the Year'!  

We began the first day of December with the Patterson family's annual 'Aunties Breakfast with Santa' at the Sonnenberg's (Santa and the chillins' featured below) and followed up with an adult Patterson cousins party the following night in our home (my fabulous siblings pictured below).  We joined with our East High study group friends for a dinner at Little America and still - there's already more!

 Sadly, the annual ward neighborhood Christmas party is the same night as Jim's office party and so we've had to make the difficult decision as to which direction to go.  Since it's been a tradition for years for Jim to play his 'saw' at the Dennis Group office party at the Canyons resort, he felt the need to purchase a (not so musical) saw at Home Depot and retire it (along with a violin bow) to some lucky employee at the party so that the tradition can be carried on!   We already miss Jim's amazing 'sawing' talent!

Jim's brother Dan also came a 'caroling' (well, just visiting with his family) from California this past weekend and so those handsome Rich brothers (pictured below), along with sisters Mary Ellen and Ann (sadly not pictured), decided to give Jim a 'fix-it' day, tying up many little odds and ends jobs that have been on his 'to do' list!   Jim enjoyed directing operations and making sure things were done with 'engineer' proficiency!  (Many thanks to a swell bunch of Rich 'sibs)'.  Also, in the spirit of 'celebration'  and to show you just what a great guy I married,  I just had to throw in the picture of three of our grand daughters dressing Jim up on one of our recent Sunday open house 'dessert' nights!  It was a preseason opener for what is upon us - a sacred season and a merry one, full of HOPE as never before!

Jim is looking "GREAT" (at least that's what everyone says and he hardly knows how to respond).  Since ALS is considered a 'condition' rather than a 'disease', I suppose he is in pretty good health if it weren't for those blasted motor neurons!  He continues to spend his days in the wheelchair and nights in one position in bed and that is NOT so GREAT!  But his attitude is mostly upbeat as we both try to keep each others spirits in tact.   And yes, we do recognize  'positives' in all of this!  Like getting to spend time just talking together in bed in the mornings.  Having friends drop in for visits! (see below) and since we seem to be teamed together all day, getting to 're- appreciate' each other and remember why we fell in love years ago.

Well,  I'm re-reading this and want to make it clear - I'm NO 'POLLYANNA' -  I'm just 'trying'!  We're all just TRYING trough these 'trying' days!  Truthfully, Jim and I recognize that we've have had a pretty amazing life!  We have come to realize that THERE IS A PLAN  for us and that WE ARE LOVED, despite this most difficult of challenges.  There is a little sign on the wall above our slide down into the basement; a quote by Christopher Robyn himself.  

"YOU ARE BRAVER THAN YOU BELIEVE, STRONGER THAN YOU SEEM AND SMARTER THAN YOU THINK!"

  I believe our Father in Heaven knows this about us but sent us here to discover it for ourselves.
And so, we will 'celebrate' this season and every season with renewed faith in not only our Savior, but in ourselves!

HAPPY DECEMBER!