#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

In the morning brook

 A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight.

~ James Joyce, The Dead

Today is our Christmas Eve and tomorrow our Christmas day. So many beautiful parts to this special day. A perfect day. I walked in the woods after waking late, at my leisure. My younger brother called me at the most perfect moment, and we were both in the mood for a good, long catch-up, so we talked for an hour, or over an hour as I went for my whole walk, stopping only briefly at the frozen brook for this picture. We laughed and laughed and thoroughly enjoyed our chance to talk over childhood mischief and other happy and poignant things. Of course, what he saw, what I saw—things we experienced separately and yet together. It was very sweet time well spent. Then some Christmas errands with Frank and both of us happy and joking, getting our errands done with good cheer and no rush. Wave home when we arrived. Then we both got naps in the afternoon before I woke up, at dusk, to take on the dinner prep. Baked a dessert all would love. Frank steamed the crab. My youngest and her fiance arrived and my son and all of us had a lovely relaxing Christmas Eve dinner and Wave was excited for Santa, who has been requested, by my daughter, to stop here this night. A cookie and oat milk have been left for him. Then I played fighting dinosaurs to get him upstairs before bed. All the kids stayed and we watched a show and then put all the presents under the tree for Wave to wake up to tomorrow. And now it’s snowing. We’ll wake to a fresh white Christmas morning with Wave, and everyone has promised him to be here by 7:30 a.m. Everyone happy and getting along. So smooth. So harmonious. I got off to sleep full of gratitude and peace.