I hope that each of you will have a Merry Christmas. For those who are able, I hope that you find some quality time to be with family members and friends. Memories are the least expensive of gifts to give and are priceless to the recipient. Memories are the treasured antiques of the mind and heart that pass through the generations when they are first lived, then told and retold.
For example, here it is 2:30 in the morning and I'm working on oyster dressing, just like I helped my grandma make decades ago. (It was my job to finely chop all of the vegetables - onions, parsley, and celery.) The smell of sage, fresh parsley, celery and onion are rich in the air again this Christmas season.
Each and every year, I have found a way to make that dressing. Some years, I didn't have any other meat on the table other than what I had in that dressing. Other years, it sat beside turkey, ham, lobster, or prime rib. I've never been able to make it taste quite as good as her dressing did, and I doubt that I ever will:) But, I will try, each and every year in celebration of the love those memories represent. Each and every year, the hours spent preparing it will provide me with a walk through my history as a gentle reminder of the importance of spending time with family and friends, and of the powerful impact that things done out of love can have on a person's life.
Again, Merry Christmas and Merry Memories!