Non-Wedding Wednesday

I arrived home in Connecticut late on Tuesday night and was instantly greeted by the cold weather. I have to admit that it felt somewhat refreshing after being on a hot cramped flight for the past three hours. I love walking out of the terminal with that great feeling of anticipation of greeting my parents as they stand anxiously awaiting my arrival. I can only imagine it is a somewhat similar feeling as to what the troops and their families experience after they arrive home from their extended time away and long travels. I had the pleasure of witnessing first hand the reunion of troops with their loving families for the holidays and it brought both a smile and a tear at the same time.

So far my two days home have been cold but wonderful and relaxing. I instantly slip back into that comfortable child-like feeling as my parents dote on me and make me feel welcome back into my childhood home. Suddenly I morph back into "Little Tiffy" as my mother prepares my meals, loans me her slippers, and turns down my bed. I even enjoy being woken up by my father in the early morning when he comes into my bedroom for a chat before he heads off to work. Definitely not like the old days where I used to scream at him for how dare he wake me up before 11 am. As I have grown older I have learned to appreciate my parents and my limited time spent with them.

Being home I often find my mind wandering far off into the days of my childhood, the holiday parties, the innocent mischief we used to get into, our silly but loving family traditions. I wonder if this has changed because I no longer live so close anymore and I miss out on all of it, or if because we have all grown into adults with families of our own where our children will one day soon begin to yell at us for waking them up before 11 am? Young or old I can say that I am grateful to be a part of it at any age, even if for only a short while. The whirlwind of visits, the screaming laughter of my nephews, the overabundance of dogs and flying dog hair, and even the freezing cold nights make it all worth it.

I have yet to decide if once I return back to my quiet life in Florida will I enjoy the peace and quiet or long to return to mayhem? Right now I am completely in love with mayhem so that is where I will stay for a bit.

Wishing you and all of your loved ones a very safe and Merry Christmas. I hope all your Christmas wishes come true, I know mine already have.