With so much build-up to Christmas, often when it’s over, the blahs set in for me. The break ends much too quickly and I have to return to the old grind, with a skinnier wallet and tighter waistband. 
I look back on Christmas 2012 as the Urgent Care Christmas. All the Richardson clan spent the holiday week at our house and I’m so thankful that all of us were able to gather together under one roof. We celebrated our parents’ 59th anniversary together, and most of all, we celebrated the coming of Christ. One of my favorite memories is my brother and I playing our old youth group Guessing the State game, hoping Steve and the kids would figure it out. The down side was that more than half of us got sick, with several trips made to our town’s and a neighboring town’s Urgent Care.
Steve stayed healthy until everyone left. His way of dealing with illness is to hibernate and stay in bed all day and all night. Hence, he slept through New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Needless to say, 2013 did not get off to a rousing start for us. I tweaked my back stripping what felt like hundreds of beds and doing thousands of loads of laundry. Coming back to sit in an office chair the day after New Year’s hasn’t exactly been the best therapy for my back, either. And I returned to work hardly feeling rested after a week and a half off.
But writing-wise (my moonlighting job), the new year has started on a strong note. On the first of January, I posted a guest blog on baaaaa.com, submitted a story solicited by an anthology book, sent off published newspaper articles I’d written for a contest, and started the process of redesigning my woefully-lacking website. I guess when my husband is asleep all day, I’m actually productive.
I hope your year is off to a great start. I wish for you a very happy one, filled with blessings from the One who loves you.