Posted 7:19 PM by Bonnie

What Christmas means to me….

During this Christmas holiday there will be a lot of gift giving and receiving, so I am taking this time to write about the greatest gifts in my life.

My husband, Keith, whom I should have married back in the ‘70’s but due to hap and circumstance we parted ways and thought we had lost each other forever. We found each other again, thanks to the internet, in our fifties and have been together for over two years now and married one year last May. I enjoy our serious discussions about life and death, religion, politics, and love the fact that even though we often differ in our ideas, our discussions remain lively and fun and never get nasty. I am grateful he is able to enjoy my silliness and even get silly himself at times. I love the fact he makes up songs about me and has one for each of our six cats that he sings while he showers in the morning. What could be better than the gift of love.

My parents who tried hard to raise me in spite of myself. My fathers gift to me was an appreciation of art and of my mind. He taught us to exercise our minds by adding columns of numbers in our head. No calculator for us! My mother gave me the gift of words and the love of reading. When my father wanted me to remain safe and keep my feet planted firmly on the ground, my mother gave me wings to fly.

My sisters, who love me unconditionally. My older sister, Linda, has given so much of herself and time to me. When I wanted to get back north this summer to attend Victoria’s 50th birthday party, Linda and her husband Paul drove all the way to SC to get me and then to CT so we could all be there. Who could ask for a more selfless love.

My sister Victoria who has encouraged my writing and praises while giving hints of how to make my poetry and stories just a little better. She never says she is right, but gives me the idea and the freedom to use the ideas or not. Victoria has helped me with this blog on numerous occasion never making me feel I was stupid for not knowing how do it myself. She just did it. She has a gift of poetry and art she shares willingly. What better gift could one need than to have someone, who in sharing their own gift, makes your attempts better.

My brothers, who I rarely see, but love me. Vinny, who gets mad at me for leaving Erie, but at the same time is happy I have found love and tells me how good I look when he sees me and encourages me to keep working on losing weight. Joe, who always has a place for me if I need it and when we are together, it is as if no time has past. We are comfortable as brother and sister and know even though we are miles apart, we will always be there for each other. What a wonderful gift to be so close even when we are so far apart physically.

I am happy my brother Michael has found work, here in Sumter, and he and his wife have moved close by. Michael, or Mickey, to us is a half brother, but we are so much alike it is as if we were raised together. We have the same strange sense of humor and the ability to not just tease but to take teasing ourselves. We have fun and make each other laugh. What a great gift there is in laughter.

Among my greatest gifts I count my friends. I have few real friends, and one is my dearest friend of forty years. Rick Foster gave me the gift of music. He put my first guitar in my hands and taught me to play. He put my first microphone in front of my face and encouraged me to sing. He gave me much more than he will ever realize and while we have been together and miles apart, we will always share a special love.

I am grateful for the gift of his wife, Naomi, who takes care of my friend and loves him in a very special way. For this she has my undying gratitude and friendship.

I am grateful for my friend, Kimberlee, in VT who writes me every Halloween because that is my special holiday and she always thinks most about me then. What a wonderful gift to have someone, who not having seen me in years, still remembers how I love that day and still thinks about me and all the fun her children had with me in VT.

I am grateful for the new friends I have made here, in my TOPS group, and while I can’t name them due to the privacy pledge we have, they know who they are. They have encouraged me week after week and even when I had a gain would tell me not to worry I would do better next week. They call me to make sure I’m staying on track and get me out walking even when I don’t feel like it J. One in particular, who once told me when I used watching a video as an excuse… Bonnie that vcr has a pause and start button, now put on your shoes and meet me at the park. I did J.

These are my special gifts. My family and friends. To borrow a line from an Amy Grant song, Heirlooms, my friends and my family are more than heirlooms to me. Happy Holidays and to each of you – thank you for being you.