Dec 2008 ......
I had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. I couldn't seem to get to the mall enough to purchase all the gifts I had to get (there's 18 of us in the family) so that's a big job and one I always want to do. However, this year, I just seemed to drag my feet. As time went by and the pile of presents grew so by the 19th of December I was feeling pretty confident that in another week things would be in place. I also got a sense that Elbert knew that Christmas was drawing near. He didn't mention it and seemed to care little as the rest of us went about decorating and wrapping and baking. But one night he linked his arm through mine and we marched all over the house singing 'Jingle Bells' and other carols. He knew the words to them all. That was a great Christmas gift for me.