I’m a pretty lucky guy.  I’m fifty-six years old and my mother is still alive and well.  I found out today we will be together for Christmas and that’s the greatest gift I could ever ask for.  Mom lives in West Palm Beach and is in the process of moving back here to Cleveland.  A lot of people do that when they have the gift of time.  They finally figure out what truly matters in life…..and that’s family.

I was like most kids.  Christmas is a day of gifts.  Christmas is fun.  Christmas is a bunch of free stuff that I will probably break in the next two weeks.  As an adult I wasn’t much better.  Christmas was stressful.  Lists to fill.  Gifts to buy.  People to impress.  I threw money at these problems.  They were solved.  I still felt empty and alone.

Let’s fast forward to today as the reality of life has begun to set in.  Christmas is a celebration of life, opportunity and salvation.  Of course my mother drives me crazy and raises my blood pressure.  That’s what mothers do.  They know how to hit your hot spots because THEY installed them.  We both made it another year.  There will be a Christmas one year when we won’t be able to say that.  It is my greatest fear my friends.  As I said at the beginning….I’m a pretty lucky guy.  I don’t need a gift.  I don’t need a fancy meal.  I’m gonna have a Merry Christmas.  I hope you do as well.