A rough few days for sure, but "Halfway" lifted spirits!

It's been a rough few days. There's no way around the fact that the recent SCOTUS decision rocked my world. I've wavered, minute by minute, between anger and disbelief. How could this happen in 2022? How could this court take such a giant step backward and dishonor and disrespect women so blatantly? What does this mean for the women and girls in my family and in my circle of friends? All the feelings.

Still, we tried not to let it ruin Halfway Christmas on Sunday, and though the topic definitely came up, we had a nice celebration. As always, I set up my little Charlie Brown tree and played my favorite Christmas music in the background. We each opened one small gift from whomever drew our name. Jane got a pizza toy to chew on; teething is not for wimps. Theodore got a silver Lamborghini, and Swen got a bright red one. Kennedy got a LOL Mystery Doll, and Seth got a Steam gift card. Amanda got Pop Tarts and a 3-wick candle from Bath & Body Works. Eli got Mtn Dew socks and some actual Mtn Dew to drink. Shulamith got a plant, and Gerald got a Little Caesar's gift card. Mathew and Isaiah don't participate in Halfway Christmas (What is their deal, anyway?), so they got nothing.  :-(

And then there's my gift, carefully wrapped in bath tissue. Hooray! Gerald drew my name, so everyone assumed he'd ask Shulamith what to get me, and all would be well. And as the story goes, he did. But then he didn't wait for her answer. Instead, he ordered me this little mini vacuum designed to vacuum up crumbs on my desk. "She hates crumbs!" he explained to Shulamith. Well, yes, I do hate crumbs, but I also don't really produce any when I eat. What I hate is sweeping up other people's crumbs! So my hope is that Gerald will use my gift to clean up his own crumbs, and if he does that, mine will be the absolute best gift of all. I'll keep you posted.

Because we didn't get to celebrate Seth's birthday last week, we extended Halfway Christmas to include it. I cherish my kids' birthdays because they remind me of how much I love being a mother; celebrating with them makes my heart happy. I'm so grateful Seth was born and that Heavenly Father sent him straight to me!

Look at my baby. already 22! I can't figure out how that's even possible, but alas....

It was a rough few days, but "Halfway" lifted spirits.