fruitful friday.....

today...is my grandmother thelma's birthday.... even though she died when i was 9.... i remember her so well... my mother's mother... a sweet woman... with deep dark red hair... glasses... she died at age 57....young... to think that she was only 7 years older than i am now is hard to believe.... my mother has a collection of newspaper clippings... with pictures of my grandmother in her early days.... when they were of the elite in oklahoma city...and tulsa...oil people.... photographs of her at social functions... a beautiful smile.... on her face... wearing a fashionable hat...a mink coat... or gorgeous gown... sparkling jewelry.... strings of pearls around her neck.... the clippings have long since yellowed...the paper brittle... a history of my families legacy in this city.... my mother doesn't talk much about those days...but every now and then... she pulls out the old family albums.... sharing memories....of her childhood....pictures... telling stories...

family traditions are those things...we carry with us throughout our life time... as long as i can remember.... the morrison family decorated the christmas tree on my grandmother's birthday... our tree was always blue and silver...ornaments dating back to the 30's... elaborate baubles... of glass glazed in silver blue... the tree would be purchased two or three days prior to decorating... my mother insisted...the branches needed to fall... after being bundled up with string for days and days... the decorating was always an event... not to mention all the other holiday decorations hung or displayed throughout our home....the tiny little christmas village on the mantle... a christmas castle...made of cereal boxes and oatmeal cartons.... covered with shiny wrapping paper.... our home was a christmas paradise.... i couldn't wait...to start the decorating... oh how i loved that little christmas village....

dad...always strung the blue lights...the replaceable bulb kind...before....the four of us....would begin...hanging the ornaments.... mom ... guiding us.... helping us get it just right...no no...the big ones go on the bottom....the small ones near the top.... silver slivers of mylar...icicles...were hung last... all of us given a small amount.... jumping up and down...tossing the icicles......watching them fall feather like.... shimmering ....shiny... onto the tree... the sound of christmas music....playing in the background... cookies and cakes.... special holiday drinks.. laughing... and singing... all evening long... after all the decorations were hung... the overhead lights would go out...we would sit.... quietly...staring...at this incredible masterpiece...blue illumination....sparkling shimmering...memories...anticipation... each of us...in our own little dream...of what santa will bring....

i don't have a tree to decorate tonight...oh how i wish i did... the ornaments have been stored in the attic for a few years now... didn't have a tree last year either... i didn't care about the holidays...until the boys came home....then one night...i got out all the lights...and began...stringing them about the house...the walls became our tree.... the entire room shined bright with holiday lights....we called it our ghetto christmas....no packages...no ornaments...just lights.... for some reason we all seemed to take great joy in this... finding some sort of humor in the fact that we didn't have a tree...but we had our lighted living room... it was perfect....

i suppose the meaning of christmas....is what we make of it... we can choose to ignore it...or we can embrace it...welcome the spirit of the holidays.... it doesn't take much really.... all you need is a little love.... a little smile... a string of lights... and...to believe anything is possible...

on this day.... fruitful friday...i give thanks for the memories..... for the day that awaits me... the possibilities...all my dreams coming true... our beautiful christmas tree... packages waiting to be unwrapped....my sons coming home for the holidays... my wonderful life... my beautiful friends... my family...for each and every miracle of each and every day..... wishing you all... a magical fruitful friday....