Christmas card tree

                                                          

I did decorate the tree. It seemed to take care of another problem I'd had: where to display the Christmas cards this year. The idea came to me about 4:00 a.m. Sunday when I woke up unexpectedly, coughing and thirsty. So I put the cards on the tree. All but two of them were cards I received this year.

The two, however, are very special cards that I keep on display all year long since I discovered them a few years ago.

 These two cards. The one on the top right is from my Memere Deslauriers, my mother's mother. The one on the bottom left is from my mother, possibly dated 1985. What I treasure most about these cards are the handwritten messages each one carries from the past.

                           

Mom is alive and well enough these days. She doesn't send letters and cards like she did back then. I learned to write letters from her, from watching her write letters to her sister and mother, and even to my dad when he was away on TDY throughout his Air Force career.

This particular card shown here mentions the news about my youngest sister Vicki, her husband Michael, and their baby Candance. That's how I know what year the card was written. In fact, she mentions my brother Joey, and my sister Joy, and my dad. They were all living in California at the time.

Vicki and Candance were killed and my parentswere seriously injured in a car accident in 1997. Dad died in 2002 from atherosclerosis. That's what the death certificate said, but I know he really died of a broken heart, which never healed after his daughter and grand-daughter were killed in that car accident.

I found the cards a few years ago amongst a boxful of Christmas cards I had been saving apparently since 1975, the year we got married.

When I read the card from  my memere, I laugh every time because of the way she spells "youse"... that is so like her. I can hear her voice saying it... she used the term like a yankee, which she was... which I was, until I married my North Carolina man and began saying "ya'll" instead.

                           

I love how she refers to my husband and son as Big Steve and small steve. A lot of love came with that card. My memere didn't send many cards off at Christmas. I think it's the only card I ever got, or that I remember getting from her.

Both these cards will be passed down to my son as family keepsakes.

Thank you, Alyson, for reminding me to post an entry. I did decorate the tree. It didn't glitter and sparkle this year, but I know, like we always say, Christmas isn't about the presents.

And that turkey soup with lemon juice really helped a lot. If you had only told me about it, I wouldn't have believed it, but you brought that bowl of hot soup over and it tasted pretty good to this sick lady.

It was the lemon juice that really caused me to hesitate. "Add lemon juice" you said.

Lemon juice? You told me a story of how you came to hear about this cold remedy, and I'm afraid I've forgotten the important details. Alyson, if you'll leave a comment here to share with the readers, I'm sure they would love to hear it too.

Itmust be the lemon. And the garlic. I just had never thought to put lemon in my chicken or turkey soup before. I do feel less congested right now.

Steven and Steve are home. There's lots more to write about, but now my hours are mixed up. I slept too much today, I suppose. The meds are kicking in now, so I'm going to bed.

Thank you for your well wishes. I've been reading journals mostly, but not leaving many comments. I'll be back on track soon.