First Holiday Season

I love Momai's family, there is such a wide range of beliefs when it comes to spirituality and yet it has never ever been an issue. We gather at or around Christmas time, I call it Christmas time but it's more like Family Celebration.

This year was extra special for me for two reasons.

One, the obvious, is to watch Griffin play with paper, be given a box to open and do nothing but squish it and slid around on his knees (thinking wow! best gift ever....carpet slider!!), explore new territory, play with his cousins, play with his cousins animals, laugh with Grandparents, laugh with his Aunts, laugh with his Uncle, get pictures taken of us all in matching pjs (thanks to Nana) and I can keep going and going, we will post pictures soon.

Second, I got to watch my Momai's parents witness the love of their children. Momai's sister Jeanne came up with an idea to make a floor plan of their old house, and each of the four children were to make a laminated overlay to said map and mark places where they have memories and write them out with corrosponding numbers. They weren't suppossed to get together and work on the project, only at the end when the books were put together did Jeanne get to first witness the memories.

I sat back watching the love from Momai and her siblings as they watched their parents open up the best gift of all. Witnessing what their children remembered about growing up, the love, the humor, the tears, the fears and the comfort. Many memories had been forgotten, many memories renewed and many of the memories were marked by two, or three siblings but seen through different eyes.

I saw in that moment, myself and Momai, lucky enough that our son Griffin, and perhaps his siblings, will be so cared for and so loved that he will have memories, and we will have memories. Some memories will be shared here, shared with strangers as we reach out for support for the uncommon family.

To all the single mothers, to all of the single fathers, to all of the daddies, all of the mommies, the lesbian dads, the lesbian moms and so so many more labels, I wish you the best at this time of the year, and into the new year.

We are gardians of such treasures and hopes; and I for one am proud to stand and call each person who reads this family.

To memories old and new, Blessed Be.