The Greatest Gift

I heard the door close.   It is still quite dark at 4:30 a.m., so I didn’t look out the window to watch the van leave the driveway.

I had asked to have our goodbyes the evening before.  Despite my age, I have never mastered the art of gracefully bidding adieu to those I love, and I didn’t want to risk allowing my emotions to ruin what had been a rollicking week of laughter.

It had been such a blessed holiday season.  One in which three of the Fabulous Four and their families shared their time and love with me.

As I mentioned to Will, the greatest gift of all is time shared.  You cannot buy it; you cannot order it, and every minute is precious.  And thus I was gifted for the entire holiday season during the past weeks.  So no, I wasn't about to let a lone tear or two destroy what had been so marvelous.

And the amazing part was how the gift of love I was given led me into making some important decisions.

New Year’s Resolutions are usually pretty much the same.  Eat less, exercise daily, and while the intention is always good, the performance doesn’t always carry into the month of February.  I hope this year will be better because I learned some amazing things during the past few weeks.

I learned I have to think more.  Will’s provocative questions made me realize I have become lazy.  Wikipedia was never meant to be a mental crutch.  I believe I may have allowed that to happen.  I must think and research more for information rather than just using my fingers to swipe my IPad.

I also became aware I should appreciate more the conveniences Long Island has provided for residents of my age group.  With a full house, garbage literally filled our driveway, and it was collected efficiently and quietly during the entire holiday season.  Thank you TOB Sanitation Department.

I am looking now with fresh eyes at the incredible gourmet selection of food available within a two mile distance of my home.  While we didn’t visit a foreign country during the past two months, we sampled outstanding selections of an incredible variety of cuisine.  The favorites of their childhood, of course, were revisited.  Zorn’s Poultry Farm, Stuff A Bagel, and A&S Pork Store remained as reliable and memorable as they had during past years.  The newer additions of Uncle Giuseppe’s and Ivarone made the menus even more enticing, and obviously, I all enjoyed all the meals without cooking or needing a kitchen staff.

Of course, having my loved ones share Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s was the greatest gift I could have, and seeing my home through their eyes made me appreciate it even more.  I recalled a quiet moment seven years ago when I was advised to remain here, and I knw how blessed I was to have heeded his words.  Perhaps he was able to see the future then.

So certainly I will try to eat better and exercise more in 2015, but more than that, I will remember to give thanks for the blessing of living here.  Maybe that was his Christmas gift this year.