The Work of Christmas Begins

If you read the blog last week, I told you about my dreams for  Christmas. Then I saw this meme, and it hit pretty close to home. 

December 26 was a beautiful day here
in Kansas. I slept in, then Frank made my favorite breakfast, his "hash." Simple - fry potatoes, onions, and bacon, then add eggs to scramble. It's hearty and I never turn it down. We walked our Pyrenees so they could see new fence and get an idea of their bigger perimeter. We watched movies, and snacked on leftovers. It was a wonderful day. But, it was too quiet and too "over." 

I love that the house is clean and the decorations are up, at least until Epiphany starts or the basement gets cleaned and organized with new shelves and bins. I enjoy the days I can read, knit, or take a nap. Today has felt too much like a let down after a lot of worry and work. Our children are close enough that they come and go in one day, and four or five adults isn't as magical! My siblings and I all have families, and it is hard to get everyone together. Have I missed the joy of the true meaning?

Why did that meme hit so close to home? Whether Christian or not, I want to be the person who has the commitment to be compassionate before all other things. Feed the children, protect the poor, share my gifts for the betterment of others, see a need before asked, to be a light to others. 

Please don't get me wrong - Christmas is still my favorite holiday and it holds so many memories. However, it is me that needs reminding, to hold the next 364 days with the same reverence. That's what I'm going to work on, not a resolution, but a better me.

Hope your 2026 is awesome!

Merry Christmas!

When I was a new mother, I dreamed of Christmastime filled with family, a beautiful meal, and lots of warm feelies. You know, a Hallmark Christmas. 

I think I had many of those growing up, kind of. Maybe not so spectacular. My fondest memory is of my Mom's Christmas tree; it always had blue lights, and she left it on all night. If I was up in the night, it was a special sight. I think it must have been like the light in the barn where Jesus was born:  just the light from the stars and so peaceful. If I miss anything about our little family Christmas, it is the blue lights. 

My best memories of big family Christmases are right here, where I live today. The dining table (my great grandmother's table, still in my dining room) had all the leaves in it and set with Grandma's Currier and Ives blue china. The kitchen was crowded with Grandma, Mom and Aunt Lee hurrying to put a meal on the table. Oh, the smells of turkey and stuffing and pie crust just right! Tam and I fighting over who washes and dries. The tree was a pasture cedar and wasn't overly decorated. Presents after dinner were simple and heartfelt, just two each. The TV never came on. No one had a phone. 

But Hallmark? That has never come to pass. It isn't in me to be that spectacular and I want too much to get it all done. Instead, we made our own special traditions. We had a belief that gifting needed to be special and not extravagant. Baby Jesus got three gifts, and we thought that was plenty (and stockings!). We changed dinner, fixing something we all loved - the Mexican Christmas, the Lasagna Christmas, the soup Christmas, and that tradition continues. 

Now my warm feelies come from being around family and friends. Seeing our children, if only for the day we are together. A lunch with my bestie, exchanging gifts in the Olive Garden. Messing up the serving line, according to the Vande boys! Watching the kids play with new toys. Sitting with Frank after the smoke clears and savoring the day and being  grateful for the memories made. 

Christmas, like all holidays, is a time for family and memories. Nothing flashy. Nothing more is necessary. Time to tell folks you love them and how much they mean to you. 

After all, don't all Hallmark movies have a happy ending, no matter what?!

Thanks for reading my writing this year. 

Merry Christmas!

Pawprints on Our Hearts

You are all well aware, I'm a dog worshipper. Not just a mere admirer or lover, but a worshipper. Where else are you going to find someone who loves you 24/7, follows you everywhere (RR included), knows to lay on your feet when you're cold and on your chest when you are sad, and asks only to be loved in return? That's right - your dog. Such a modest name, but I sometimes read it backwards. 

My dad loved dogs. I got all the feels from him and it started a lifelong adoration. My first orphan pup came to me in college. Mitzi. She wandered onto my porch one summer night, and she cried until I let her in. And she stayed, until I had to give her up to my parents in order to get an apartment at ESU. Then she went to live with my grandpa when his Missy passed away, where she stayed until he passed away. Since she was at my folks, she lived out her life there. 

Many years later, a little Brownie Scout was crying, and when I inquired why, she told me she had been hiding a litter of stray puppies in their camper and her dad said they had to go. Would I please take one? I did, but Max had parvo and we lost him in just a few short weeks. 

There have been more, Sugar, Scout, and Sophie - all purchased and so loved. Our rescue life began with Savy, a Queensland blue heeler that arrived at the farm skinny and covered in ticks. She was just ten weeks old, and my mom texted me a picture 🠊. LOVE!! Now our grand dame rules the roost from a comfy sofa. 

Be warned - I can't watch ASPCA commercials or read The Dodo articles on Facebook. I can't watch videos of very sick animals being rescued. But, I swear, I have never understood how someone could abandon a dog or a puppy! You just turn them lose at the dump? You put them in a dumpster? You chain them for bait? I want those people in jail - I want them to be branded, with an AA on their forehead - Animal Abuser. 

Whew...I'm calmer now... I knew I had to be part of the solution for dogs who were victims of human cruelty. 

Enter Leo ... the true love of my life. A shih-tzu that someone abandoned when he was 12 weeks old. It was unfathomable to me that someone would abandon an eight pound baby in December, left to wander the streets. He was lucky. Leo was found by the right people, and I saw a post on Facebook about a puppy that needed a foster. The journey began in earnest.

We were to be Leo's fosters. He went to two
meet and greets, and two rejections. We  couldn't live with his disappointment. In less than a week, we adopted him - a Foster Fail! I was struggling with my own problems, and he was really depressed. We spent a great deal of time together, curled up in an overstuffed chair feeling low together. Leo laid on my chest, like he was trying to heal my heart. In just a couple of days, I quit thinking about my problems, and focused on the sweet boy that now needed us. 

We foster, just one at a time. We have loved each one, and made sure its adopter really wanted to be a dog owner. Zach and Zoey, Pita, Shenandoah, and Ranger. Our current foster is a great big beautiful girl named Maya. We don't have more room in our pack, but we won't give her up until we find the perfect family. 

Our last personal rescue is Lyndy. Now, brace yourselves. We picked him out of his litter at 8 weeks, under the impression that he was a shih tzu/pug cross. When he came home at 12 weeks, we were already sure he was not much of a shih tzu, and his DNA test proved him to be a super mutt, 14 breeds! We think he has one defining characteristic of each breed! LOL. He has been the jester our pack needed. Sometimes we "accidentally" call him Lucifer! 

I wrote another blog about dogs, and I'm going to end with a thought I shared in that post. "Honestly, I'm not sure I can completely explain or understand the deep admiration I have for dogs. Maybe it is because they have an endless supply of hope for the human race. Regardless of what they have suffered, they give the next human a chance." 

We can see this journey changing as we grow older. Until then, we will help the dogs that need us, until a family makes them their very own!

P.S. Christmas puppies are forever!! 

www.Pawsitivetailsks.org