This was our last Christmas tree in Georgia, a huge twelve foot Fraser Fir.
Last year was the first time ever ( I believe) that we didn't have a real tree. A couple of years when we were broke as jokes, other people bought us a tree. We've always been blessed.
Last year was a tough Christmas for me. I was still reeling from my job transfer to Orlando gone awry and struggling to learn my new job, not to mention was suddenly living over four hundred miles away from my home of fifty six years. I've never been through depression that deep or long lasting before..even when we were poor as church mice
It was one of the toughest things I've ever (luckily) battled back from or against.
Flash forward one year.
I've made some friends... good friends, mostly all from work but work is pretty much what I do best.
We all traveled back to Georgia this past weekend to let Massey walk with her class at college graduation. I was a nervous wreck about leaving the dogs. It's not easy when you own three huge dogs and two of them don't get along. We have the 'dog swap' down to a science. Our old blind boxer is just too nervous to be around our lunatic young boxer and have to keep them apart. What's even crazier is that they lay facing each other through the back sliding glass door and Ziggy has never once growled or been aggressive towards seeing Ham less than a foot away from him. Ham, the blind one, doesn't see Ziggy staring at him but know he senses that he is there and seems okay with it as well.
Go figure.
We found the perfect dog sitter. A coworker of mine who also owns three dogs and a couple of cats. One of the cats doesn't coexist well with her pups so she is all too aware of the separation factor. She's been to our house a couple of times and seen us do the 'swap'. I typed out every instruction for her, which ended up being two pages long. Then the weather threw us another curve. Temps in the thirties forecast for Orlando with rain to boot. I lined the dog house out back with fresh shavings so when Ham had to be left out would have a warm place to go. She agreed to stay overnight so Ham could sleep inside and she would sleep in our bedroom with Ziggy...door shut.
I thought about the dogs...a lot ,but after not hearing from her, knew they were all hunky dory.
And they were!
We had to stay an extra day in Georgia because of a snow storm which cancelled graduation from Saturday afternoon and moved to Sunday evening.
She acted as if it was nothing when I texted and agreed to stay Sunday until around eleven PM, putting Ham out back in the yard with a warm dog house before she left for her own home.
Tim and I left the graduation around eight PM. We dropped Zach back off in Newnan and hit the road for Orlando around nine. We rolled back into Orlando after three in the morning, just in time to do another dog swap and let Ham sleep inside, in the living room, with Ziggy sleeping with us in the bedroom.
We walked in to the house and were greeted by a fully decorated three foot Christmas tree with lights.
She told me the next day that she knew Massey wanted a Christmas tree this year.
Now we have one , and in our tiny temp rental, looks and feels like a six footer! She is one of the nicest gals I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and feel grateful for her friendship. I couldn't believe all she did for us, when actually was us who owed her or taking excellent care of our pups.
I've made good friends here and beginning to feel at home in Florida. She and Massey hit it off and now are pals as well.
It's hard building a new life in a new place after well over half a century but when you surround yourself with wonderful people, makes it a much more pleasant transistion.
Last year this same time, the verdict was still out as to whether or not I could be happy here. This year, the verdict is in. I can, and I am. Most of the thanks go to the wonderful people I have met and surrounded myself with here in Orlando
Thanks to our Christmas Angel, our dogs survived us being out of town and came home to find our place all decorated for Christmas.
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol:
"But I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely."
To be honest, I'm actually not too sure what I've done right in my life.
I've made a lot of turns in my life, some for the better and some for the worse. But in the grand scheme of it all, think I'm an okay person.
At the end of your day, go to bed feeling like you have been an okay person that day.
Baby steps.
If you haven't...tomorrow is another chance.
If you're lucky.
Love fast and love hard.
Merry Christmas
COTTON
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