Hello Holidays

It's December 22nd. My first post was published on October 27 and it irks me that it took me this long to write again. As usual, my life has been chockful of J and babyI. I devote almost every bit of my attention to my family. Who has a social life? Not me. Not that I don't have a choice, I just choose not to have a social life. BabyI doesn't have a nanny and my husband is away 5 days a week, so the least I can do is be a good mother. But thank God for social networking sites and mobile phones. They connect me to my friends and keep me sane when I feel like I'm going stir crazy being cooped up in the house for too long...

J and I try to spend some time together, like going on dates, but it doesn't happen too often because on weekends I understand that all he really wants to do is relax. Sometimes we go out as a family and visit our relatives, or go to the mall to eat and do some shopping, but if he doesn't wanna go out I don't force him to. He deserves to rest on weekends. I know how hard he works to bring home the bacon. It's Christmas week and he's still working his ass off.

--and I wish he'd filed a VL for tomorrow, Friday. I thought I'd be able to spend more time with him this weekend cos it's the Holidays but no. But I don't wanna comment on that further. There's really not much I can do.

So I wanna make the most out of Christmas this year. I want a happy Christmas for my family. We may not be the wealthiest, but we are so rich in love. We find happiness and contentment in the simplest things and togetherness. We're staying at my parents' house this week cos we're spending Christmas eve (Noche Buena) and Christmas morning with my side of the family, and then we're going back to my in-laws for a Christmas party on the night of December 25. 

I'm really excited to see babyI open her presents cos it's the first Christmas that she can actually do that. Last year she was only 10 months old and she didn't really care about gifts yet. Now she does, and I can't wait to see the look on her face as she rips them open (which I assume is the most exciting part)!

I really feel good about the Holidays. There is so much opportunity to give and be thankful for. And someday, I'll do what my mom's been doing these past few days. She's distributing bags of goods (uncooked rice/bigas, canned food, table sugar, etc.) to indigent strangers who walk the streets for a living. Yesterday she handed them to a frail hunched-back old man selling ice cream, an old man sitting by the sidewalk selling candies and cigarettes, a fish-ball vendor, the security personnel in our village, etc. She still has about 15 more bags in stock waiting to be distributed. I really admire my mom for doing this and someday I plan to do the same for the less fortunate. Her generosity is truly admirable. That frail old man selling ice cream was the first person I saw my mom hand over a bag to, and it almost brought me to tears when he received it. He could barely even lift the bag with one hand but he took it, with disbelief and pure joy in his old wrinkled face. I don't think he's been that happy for a long time, because his face just lit up like a Christmas lantern. He was so happy.

As my mom drove away, she saw from the rear view mirror that the man knelt down to see what was inside the bag. I turned around and that was what I saw. He put his ice cream box on the ground beside him and took the time to appreciate my mom's offering. As we drove further away and he disappeared in the horizon, he was still in the ground, looking into the bag. I don't think I've ever been as touched as that. I just wished he would just go back home and rest for a day. I know he deserves to.

I want to share these good vibes with you, whoever may be reading this blog. Let's all find and spread happiness this Christmas. Share some love, no matter how much. Someone, somewhere, will always be less fortunate than us, so let's try and make a difference.

Happy Holidays! Let's enjoy the season and give give give. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day. Til next time.