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There will be some new pictures tomorrow, but this was our trip to the movies last night.
Christmas 2011
This was going to be the year my Christmas letter died.
Who really wants to read about problems and heartaches, aches and pains?
Who really wants to hear how wonderful someone else's grandchildren are?
I do because I love nothing more than a good long newsy Christmas letter, but then I am not normal.
I have NEVER wanted to be guilty of being the "everything is over the top wonderful at our house' letter writer.
For the last three years I have blogged our lives so a Christmas letter seems to be repeat...But then I realize most of you are not blog readers.
If you really want to catch up you can always go to
http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/ or http://grammyababychangeseverything.blogspot.com/ for my holiday blog.
That's where I log life weekly.
This last month has been the end of a very long year. I had my first tree decorating injury in probably 1,300 trees and 17 years.
It happened near the end of the season which was a blessing, but it has been a PAIN. I wish I could tell you I was stretching across a 24 foot tree, but I missed a step in a clients garage and my ankle may never be the same. Just happened to be at an orthopedic surgeons home.
It was ugly.
It caused me to miss work for the first time in all the years I have been in business. (And at the moment I cannot remember when I did not do trees)
My ankle was not broken, though some have told me that would have been better BUT it required an ER visit, crutches, a boot, and spending two weeks doing nothing more than elevating and icing. It is slowly healing but the emphasis is on slowly.
Never underestimate the value of ELVES (friends)! My elves carried on and finished the season. They decorated my home more beautifully than its ever been plus took care of my every need.
See how wordy I am...There is no such thing as me writing a short letter. I really had one purpose in this letter and that was to share a story from the summer.
Before I do I will catch you up on US!
Rehab would sum our lives up in 2011. When I wrote last year Jack had just had a stroke. This year has been spent finding a new normal.
Some days I do it well, others I fail miserably. He is 95% back to normal but that other five percent is a constant reminder to him that he had the stroke.
So everyday, he works out, hauls little's to and from school, and strives to regain that 5%...
Greg and Dana are relieved parents as Austin had successful heart surgery in Little Rock this summer. They are so happy to have that behind them. Gray is Greg at 2...Total twins.
We took a little family trip tonight to celebrate Austin's 10th birthday. I love the fact the Gray and Jack are best BUDS and Parker and Austin are best friends.
Amanda and Micah moved to a beautiful new home this fall in one of the most gorgeous areas of Shreveport. Great things happened with Micah's job that enabled them to make some dreams come true. Amanda is still in nursing school(making all A's, forgive the brag)
Parker, the BABY that changed everything is a TWEEN. That means in May he will be a TEEN. I can't tell you how that makes this Grammy feel. Twelve years ago he changed my world, he still does today.
His little brother Jack, will be 4 in January and no kid has EVER made me laugh as much or as hard as he does. He stays with us often while Amanda is in school and his one liners are book material.
Amanda really should rent him out to people who are having bad days.
Years mean nothing in real friendships. I learned that anew this summer. In late summer Jack and I had the privilege (which seems an odd word)to spend two weeks with two old friends at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. Keith was there waiting on a liver transplant.
We did something we have never done before and may never do again, but we stayed for two weeks for no other reason than just to be there for them. I wish I could explain it, but all I know is it was just something we were supposed to do...be available to them.
Some days we stayed at the hotel, some days we went and talked over old times, some days we just prayed that the transplant team would come bursting through the door announcing they had a liver.
The transplant world was something I knew little about. Hope is all they have. Hope for an organ. With that hope comes someone's else's loss.
Keith didn't make it. He had waited six weeks, getting more critical by the day. Before a liver became available, a massive infection ravaged his body. That last night as I left his room and said goodbye, knowing it probably would be the last time, as I got near the door, he said "Thanks for staying"!
I think he knew too. I knew as I walked down that hall, tears pouring, I would never miss an opportunity to ask others to be organ donors.
So if you get nothing else out of this letter, in honor of Keith Whatley, please sign up to be one.
If you are like me, you know so many people hurting this holiday season. Dianne's heart is broken as she celebrates her first Christmas in 38 years without Keith. My friend, Gail will celebrate her first Christmas without her Mom and best friend this year and then a few weeks later losing her sweet dog of 17 years. She is hurting.
In the past weeks, a dear tree client and friend of many years found out she has a form of blood cancer. Please add Mischa to your prayer list.
One of Jack's former players, Greg Luman died suddenly this week, far too young.
No one checked on Jack more since his stroke. I want to be a
GREG LUMAN, an encourager.
I could fill a legal pad with names of people I know that need encouragement. Friends that are going through extreme pain and looking for HOPE.
I am sure you can too.
Most of you know I am a snail mail lover and sender. I challenge you today to get a card, get a stamp (yes they are expensive) and encourage just one person.
Let someone that is drowning, know you care.
AND DO NOT FORGET TO SIGN UP TO BE AN ORGAN DONOR...
and I would love it if you would let me know you are....you can email me at annah99@aol.com.
From our family to yours, we wish you a year of
New Beginnings!
With love,
Teresa and Jack
Amanda, Micah, Parker and Jack
Greg, Dana, Austin and Gray
I could think of so many titles for this post… some you would get, some would be inside jokes.
All would have been heart felt.
If you read my blog you know I am injured. That is the only word I can think of.
I thought my ankle was better, now I think the injury was worse than I originally thought.
I have missed 3 houses and one today where they had light problems.
My ANKLE! I have iced it, kept it up, stayed off of it and all the rest. I am good at none of the above, so my only alternative is to take a pain pill and sleep. Yesterday that is what I did.
Yesterday about 3 PM Head Elf Terri arrived…
and then Elf Liz ( who originally took me to the ER…and has been a constant encourager)
Then Elves Robin and Sheri
Then my sweet neighbors, Mike and Shoni( and my new ELF)
Then my sweet friend PAM (who has to be the most giving person I know) arrived with hot soup, her special cornbread, and homemade brownies for everyone
All here to decorate my house..
This was the only year I had not decorated early that I can ever remember..
Always in October…
They were still here at midnight…get that…midnight..I slept through it all.
I knew if I were up I would be working. What tree decorator can sit while someone else decorates trees.
I fix trees in restaurants and doctors offices as discreetly as I can.
The only two elves I even saw last night were Terri and Liz..
Liz needed my laptop for the Mickey display from last year and Terri and I talked for a minute when she first got here…
I could hear laughing. It sounded like a great party I was missing (the jokes were probably dust they were finding)!
I could hear vacuuming around midnight…who stays at someone's house until midnight on the first day they have had off in a long time plus knowing they had a long tree day today and it was looking doubtful that I would be there.
My foot is swollen, its black,(I mean all of it)!
It is now coming up the back of my leg. NEVER again will I take an ankle for granted.
I am beginning to wonder if its broken and it was too swollen to tell the night I had it X-rayed.
I don’t consider myself a wimp. I have worked sick plenty of times over the years, but the ankle has stopped me.
I can’t wear the boot.
I cannot find anything that stabilizes it enough for me to stand on it and you have to pretty much stand and bend to decorate trees.
Trust me I have tried to figure out a way. And as hard as I tried I could not stand long enough to do it.
When I got up to get water about 1 AM this morning there was not one big tree, there were trees everywhere…magazine worthy trees.
I had told the elves they could use anything in my shop…and there are trees everywhere…gorgeous trees, big trees, gorgeous mantle.
Every nook and cranny decorated.
From my couch I can sit and see 8 trees.(I promise pictures tomorrow)
I have been banned from getting up so I can’t really get any good shots.
My outside is not decorated this year…first time in 39 years, but if you can get past the front door, its winter wonderland..
To most people that would be nice and you would appreciate it. But that is not what it means to me.
To me it was the greatest gift anyone could give me. I don’t want that to come across dramatic.
I was just so sad to leave beautiful homes everyday and come home to no trees.
I love Christmas lights and Christmas music.
I love Christmas cards and Christmas letters.
I love cold nights where the only light comes from trees and the fireplace.
I love trees, themed trees and old fashioned trees.
I love the smells of Christmas, children at Christmas, Christmas Eve services.
In my job many times that all blurs and this year it was getting very blurry.
Making it more special is that it was done by “tired elves” that had their own families trees to do, on a night they could have gone shopping, watched TV or done a million other things. Instead they served me.
It was a gift I will never forget.
To everyone of you that helped last night a huge HUG and THANK YOU!
That friends is Christmas.
I have not bought a gift..that too is very unusual for me. I am depending on Mr. Online to help me tonight.
Don’t forget to comment here or on A Baby Changes Everything…My best giveaway of the year is this week!
Thanks for all the well wishes…If you have any suggestions for “speed the healing on a very ugly ankle”, please send them!!
Promise to be back with pictures tomorrow!
Must add one funny...they took all my everyday stuff up and in that was a brass urn with Annah's ashes...I keep them in a cabinet behind some books...They were gone...I panicked...Had they not known it was Annah and piled it in with a bunch of other stuff...Finally found them with some candlesticks. My sweet cocker spaniel of 17 years, my faithful friend, took a ride last night around the house.
JUST POSTED SOME CHRISTMAS EVE PICTURES on THE HOLIDAY BLOG.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL MY BLOG FRIENDS.
Tonight I am putting up my Christmas tree. It is the first time in 38 years that Jack is not sitting in his chair telling me how great it looks. Jack is not here and has not been for almost three weeks. You might want to stop right here and look at the little's.
It’s a good thing I wrote a few funnies on Saturday night, as nothing has been funny since. I am not going to bore you with all the details but this has not been a good few days. Jack was fighting an infection on Sunday and Monday, thus no rehab in case it was a blood clot. I think that has been ruled out now. No rehab equaled a down and really somewhat depressed man. Something I have rarely seen in the last 38 years.
People have done crazy things. I am not going to go into it on the blog, but when you think you have seen everything, trust me you have not. This is not something I am wanting you to wonder about, its just something I have not decided how I am going to deal with. And if I wrote about it I would get 100 comments and they would all say, “I am rereading the post to be sure I got that right”!
One blog buddy gave me some great advice. Totally focus on the things that really matter; Jack getting better, my kids and the little's, and my business (which because of the time of year, I have no other choice). Then drop everything else. That’s my new plan.
I am still learning. I have learned that a giant catastrophe in life divides friends from real friends. I did not realize people could make such stupid remarks when someone is sick and make suggestions that border on insane. Lord, help me never to assume anything when someone is sick.
Hard times teach you a lot. I have learned that we, even in our small family unit all process this differently. We all cope different and we all have different breaking points. There is no “how to book” on reacting to something that scares you to death.
Part of me is so mad at myself for not insisting there was a problem when the doctor seemed to take some huge symptoms so lightly. Jack trusted this doctor, he wanted to believe that he knew what he was doing and though I questioned it regularly, I did not really insist that we make a change. How I wish I had.
There have been those friends that have helped me more than they will ever realize. You have a thank you note coming (probably in 2011) but for now, know that I will never forget your kindness. Some of you that have done what seemed like small things. You will never know what a difference you have made. Terri, thank you for doing what I could not do yesterday, FOCUS. You got more done in a few hours than I have in a week.
Jack is working hard and we think we have found a great just rehab place as soon as all the medical issues are resolved. I want him to get every ounce of great rehab that is available.
I will leave you with some happy faces..Jack getting to sit in the pilots seat this weekend, Jack and Grayson having a cousins play night, Jack insisting that little Grayson push him and Jack sleeping with his Aunt Dana while the rest of us were all in Dallas.
I see happiness in Jack’s eyes when the boys get up in the bed with him. They love pushing all the buttons on the bed, paging the nurses. Let’s just say everyone in the rehab facility knows them…Jack bit someone at school today and Amanda asked him if he was sorry. That would be a NO, the boy had his STUFF.
For the next couple of weeks, my posts will probably be weekly. We have a huge deadline to get Christmas stuff ready. My house looks like Christmas Wonderland right now. That’s my house not my heart. The problem is there is no where to step without stepping on a wreath or knocking a tree over.
Thank you again for all the notes of encouragement. This is foreign territory for me. And most days I have failed miserably on this test.
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