On this the fourth day of Christmas, my true love is still fixing me soup, orange juice, and encouragement!  My hubby of 42 years, Max, would gladly connect me to four friends, “calling birds” with whom I could talk, because he knows that is just what I want…NEED….CRAVE!!  Afterall, talking is one of my greatest talents, joys, and gifts from God! It’s actually what I do best ! LOL  We all gotta have a talent! But I have had pneumonia as anyone listening obviously knows, and along with it…laryngitis for the last four days! Now that is just wrong! WRONG! How do you tell everyone Merry Christmas in silence?! How do I tell everyone how much I love and appreciate them?! Well, looky here, I can write! LOL  It just so happens I love to write as well! Hmmm…Do you believe in premonitions? It dawns on me that on Christmas Day of all things, when the kids were here and we were waiting to exchange gifts until their parents joined us after being at the hospital awhile, when I sensed Liam just getting too anxious for words to dive into the presents, I asked him if he’d  ever heard of a woman named Helen Keller, he’s six remember, of course he hadn’t . so I explained a bit about her and he was shocked! She couldn’t see, or hear, or talk? Always one of my own favorite stories, I had noticed the movie was coming on TV. So we watched just a bit of it together, a bit so that he could see, not just imagine, how hard life was for her, and how miraculous her teacher Anne Sullivan was! He actually  loved it! I know there is no comparison, but now I haven’t been able to talk for four days! I certainly feel empathy for her! 

     Talking and sharing are truly gifts from God! So are many other gifts of course! But Max and I were both teachers as well as parents, me a professional counselor and lecturer. We’d have failed without our gifts of gab.  Early in our marriage, Max and I learned that we had to communicate better if we wanted our marriage to last and be a solid one…so we actually took and taught couple communication! It was so much fun! But writing  is not quite as rewarding as talking face to face…’cause I’m also a hugger! When you get to be with people, to SAY OUT LOUD Merry Christmas, you can easily exchange a hug as well! Its so life affirming! So genuine! So… I am suffering through this isolation this Christmas, made especially poignant by the birth of our granddaughter just before Christmas who is still in the neonatal intensive care unit! Oh the yearning to be with her and my daughter, her Mom, are strong! And I have another daughter…Annie the Elf….the helper, the family heroin who takes care of us all as well! She will soon fly the coop again however, and this calling bird will call her four times a day! LOL

     Our family is actually chocked full of “calling birds”! The singing kind, Annie and Ali, and the smart phone types…all of us including the six year old who can beat me to pieces on some games. He knows how to go to the app. store and purchase and download a game! (he’s even learned my password….who would have dreamed….I showed him once!) Now he announces it out loud to people whereever we go! “Want to know GiGi’s password…I know it!” –so proud of himself! Last week, Katy who will be two in January, comes over to look at pictures with me! She deftly runs her hand across the screen, scrolling the pictures across the screen! She and Liam do things I can hardly do…or am just learning to do! Ali and Greg are so happy to have a break from total care of the kids, they get here and immediately are on their phones! So last dinner together, we agreed to put all the phones and tablets in a basket for awhile. During dinner, and during the lighting of our Advent Wreath, anyone caught checking their phone, had to pay for dinner or wash dishes!  We talked, and we looked at each other, and we prayed together. Thank you Lord for the gift of talking and sharing! (and please know, I am very aware of the gift of sign language and silence, and thankful for themas well! )