Home

Later this afternoon                                                                                                  *photo courtesy of google images
I will head to the airport
and board a plane
headed for Minneapolis.

A few short hours later
I will crawl into bed
with Elena
and squeeze her.
Tightly.

Quietly.

In the morning
I will hold my baby.
Who is about to turn
one.

I will kiss her bald head.
And squeeze her, too.
Just not quite as tight.
She's still fragile, you know.

And I'll sit at the counter at my mother's house
..quiet, warm, comfortable...
and listen to my eldest tell stories of the past two weeks.

Two weeks in Minnesota.
With her cousins.
And her bff, Audrey.

The Children's Museum.
Gramma's house.
Snowstorms.
The YMC(me)A.

And I'll smile.

Bigger than I've smiled in the time
since they left Texas.

I can't wait to be home for the holidays.

To see snow.

And yes,
I am even excited to freeze
my tuckus
off.

I promise to blog while I'm on vacation.
I've packed the laptop.
And the camera.

There'll be plenty to read about,
friends.

I promise to write it.

And if you
are fortunate enough to be home
for your holidays
be warm.
And travel safely.

And if you cannot make it home
this year
remember
that home
is wherever in the world
you are.

Home,
you see,
will always come to you
at Christmastime.

That
is the magic of this season.

Cheers,
A