The Bestest of Presents
It's been an exhausting evening - but one that ended in the best possible way.
It's been really a wintery stormy sort of day up here, and early on Boxing Day we got a surprise call from my younger sister that she was going to come to BC (from northern Alberta) for part of the Christmas holidays, after all. Quite the unexpected thing this year! She'd just quit her old job (she's an ambulance paramedic) and had time 'off' now before her new job started, and wanted to be with family, and to see me and my twin sister for our birthday - which, oh hey, it's after midnight here now, so it's, wow, now today! *blinks* ohboy (Where does the time fly?)
All day we've been watching the road reports and the weather, and by the time dusk started to fall along with the snow, we were getting worried.
Watching the tense and sad news from Pakistan this evening only ratcheted up the feelings of anxiety, and then, at around 10:30 pm, PST) when we got word from a truck driver friend that there'd been a massive, weather-induced MVA on the highway to the south of us, the route my sister was supposed to be taking, I grew very afraid indeed. And we couldn't get hold of her on her cell.
But then, out of the blue she finally showed up at the door, literally trembling with fatigue and tension and stress, but whole and alive and safe, (and her dog and cat too) I couldn't adequately express my relief. I'm SO glad she's here, and safe! The gladness made me almost giddy with the relief, and this was the best Christmas/Birthday gift I could imagine right then. Such incidents really do tend to put life into perspective sometimes, don't they?
It's a lovely, lovely thing to not be lost in the storm. (I mean that figuratively as well as literally.) Sometimes we just need to have a little guidance and company along the way.
So, in daylight, (assuming the roads are cleared enough and the blizzard stops blowing by then) we're all travelling down to the city of Kamloops to see my poor twin sister, who had to work at HER new job over Christmas, so that at least we can cheer each other up by sharing a dinner together on this special day for her. It was so hard we sisters being all separate on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, harder than I'd even anticipated, even though I thought I was prepared, and so that makes this an unexpected treat and a joyous gathering!
Despite my exhaustion, despite the bronchitis I've unfortunately developed, despite the very pressing need for time (and energy! and creativity!) to work on my two stories for the World's Finest fandom with scary deadlines too fast approaching, I cannot think of a better way to spend this middle bit of the holidays and the day than with three of the people who mean the world to me.
And that is a great blessing and gift indeed.
May you all experience the peace and warmth and comfort that comes from being near family and friends this Christmas season.
Pax, One Year Older Younger, and One Pretty Lucky Wolfling :-)
It's been really a wintery stormy sort of day up here, and early on Boxing Day we got a surprise call from my younger sister that she was going to come to BC (from northern Alberta) for part of the Christmas holidays, after all. Quite the unexpected thing this year! She'd just quit her old job (she's an ambulance paramedic) and had time 'off' now before her new job started, and wanted to be with family, and to see me and my twin sister for our birthday - which, oh hey, it's after midnight here now, so it's, wow, now today! *blinks* ohboy (Where does the time fly?)
All day we've been watching the road reports and the weather, and by the time dusk started to fall along with the snow, we were getting worried.
Watching the tense and sad news from Pakistan this evening only ratcheted up the feelings of anxiety, and then, at around 10:30 pm, PST) when we got word from a truck driver friend that there'd been a massive, weather-induced MVA on the highway to the south of us, the route my sister was supposed to be taking, I grew very afraid indeed. And we couldn't get hold of her on her cell.
But then, out of the blue she finally showed up at the door, literally trembling with fatigue and tension and stress, but whole and alive and safe, (and her dog and cat too) I couldn't adequately express my relief. I'm SO glad she's here, and safe! The gladness made me almost giddy with the relief, and this was the best Christmas/Birthday gift I could imagine right then. Such incidents really do tend to put life into perspective sometimes, don't they?
It's a lovely, lovely thing to not be lost in the storm. (I mean that figuratively as well as literally.) Sometimes we just need to have a little guidance and company along the way.
So, in daylight, (assuming the roads are cleared enough and the blizzard stops blowing by then) we're all travelling down to the city of Kamloops to see my poor twin sister, who had to work at HER new job over Christmas, so that at least we can cheer each other up by sharing a dinner together on this special day for her. It was so hard we sisters being all separate on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, harder than I'd even anticipated, even though I thought I was prepared, and so that makes this an unexpected treat and a joyous gathering!
Despite my exhaustion, despite the bronchitis I've unfortunately developed, despite the very pressing need for time (and energy! and creativity!) to work on my two stories for the World's Finest fandom with scary deadlines too fast approaching, I cannot think of a better way to spend this middle bit of the holidays and the day than with three of the people who mean the world to me.
And that is a great blessing and gift indeed.
May you all experience the peace and warmth and comfort that comes from being near family and friends this Christmas season.
Pax, One Year Older Younger, and One Pretty Lucky Wolfling :-)