For most of our son’s life we lived overseas and celebrated the holidays together. We had our own special traditions: Christmas eve enjoying a meal of Sherried Crab Bisque (which Josiah lovingly dubbed Mummie’s Booze Soup until I realized you did not add the sherry right before serving, but rather cooked it until the alcohol had burned off.) Hey! With Dan traveling so much for our work in other provinces, we always spent Christmas week at home, in Chiang Mai. We would do all of the touristy things others did. Drives up into the mountains for a multi-family camping trip on the tallest peak in Thailand. SO cold, but OH, how we loved to shiver.

Living in the US has been wonderful to have time with our extended families at holidays, but, OH, sometimes I do miss the crisp feel in our Thai house, without any heat source, so that every chair had a blanket to cozy up in and wearing wool caps inside during the evening was expected. Mostly, I miss seeing my son’s sweet face every single day. These days due to jobs and location, we are having more Christmas’s apart than I ever thought we would. All of you young parents out there, exhausted and running off your feet. Take a moment. Look at yourself in a mirror, and tell yourself, “These are the glory years…”

~ Debbie Ecker