Merry Christmas, everyone!!! The Christmas post is a little late coming, I know, but since today is technically the 4th day of Christmas (4 calling birds), I think the late greeting is still acceptable.
By: Robin Harry
I’ve cooked Christmas dinner for the past 3 years in my house – and a couple months ago I declared I was on strike. I had a long hard year, darn it, and I had no intention of spending the holidays grocery shopping and slaving away in the kitchen. Someone else could cook. Or so I thought. When I asked my mom what we were having for Christmas, her “I don’t know” answer clearly indicated our imminent starvation on Christmas day. She had to work that evening, so she couldn’t spend all day cooking either. So back in the kitchen I went. I had fun doing it, though. During chemo I could barely eat anything that a normal person could consider palatable, so it felt good to be able to cook dinner that everyone could eat. My brother did offer some help, basting the ham (thank God for Youtube) while I was at church .
This Christmas was particularly hard with the gift giving. I found myself trying to find gifts that would somehow repay the kindness that people showed me this year, and really stressing out about it. Most years I’m okay with the gift cards, but this year I thought it was important to really convey how much I appreciated the generosity, concern and care that my friends and family bestowed upon me. The truth is, though, that nothing I could ever buy in a store or make by hand would ever be enough, not on its own. So I really do pray that the thought counts!!
Anyway, the holiday weekend is over, and it’s been back to life. My last radiation treatment is tomorrow, and I also have a CT enterogram to figure out what that stomach/bowel pain was during chemo. If I’m lucky, 2011 will go out with a whisper…
