Sometimes I Feel Like a Piece of Bologna

Happy New Year!

I want to wish all of my readers, but especially those of you who are Gen Sandwichers and caring in some capacity for aging parents, a blessed, prosperous, and healthy 2007. You are to be commended for honoring your parents at a time when culture seems to tell us, “Look out for yourself.” Keep up the good work and hear the words of Jesus saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We’re enjoying a quiet evening at home. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but my son and his wife arrived about noon on Christmas day. We have them until January 3 and couldn’t be more thrilled. What a delight to have them long enough to be able to enjoy just hanging out and being family together. Unfortunately, one of our gifts from our Christmas dinner host was the flu. It’s been making the rounds in both families. I caught it first. Son and DIL have caught the “terrible cold” version, and now hubby has stomach flu version, which is what I had. Fortunately, the flu is the 24-hour version, with another 24 hours of feeling fragile. But because the kids have had colds the entire time and hubby and I have bracketed them, we’ve been in low gear all week. We haven’t accomplished half what we had hoped to. But we did our annual trek to Chevy’s and the Nutcracker, and hopefully will spend tomorrow with many friends hubby and I have known since our single days. (That’s a long time ago…). We had expected to spend the evening with the friends who shared the illness with us, but decided to give ourselves one more evening to recuperate. One of the guys hosting tomorrow is recovering from cancer, so we certainly don’t want to infect him.

It’s been so good having the kids home, and I must say that I admire my DIL. She has been a trooper. Yes, she enjoys coming here, but nine days is a long time with your in-laws. It’s not everyone who can manage that with panache. She does. She fits in well, knows when to get some space, and is learning her way around my kitchen. We are blessed.

So, may 2007 be a bright and wonderful year for you. See you next year!