Oct from Ming and Sharen - musings on Dec, etc

Ming is an occasional exchanger and is masterful with her hairlines. She also makes very nice cards.

Here's another envelope with a black cat -- from Sharen - a little spookier with that spider and a touch of something creepy on the name.

***

It's Nov 15th, and I am scanning through the blog posts that are scheduled for the rest of the month- editing out the typos. I got a little verklempt on Nov 27, the day that my daughter (oldest kid) turns 44. That decade (40s) is full of stuff, the same as all the decades. For 44 years, her birthday has been the official kick off for *the holidays* which was generally an over-whelming season for me. I did a decent job of providing some holiday cheer - finding my own balance. I did not scar my kids for life or at least that's what they tell me. 

While it is a joyous season and some people pull off a month of non-stop tinsel and sprinkles - or maybe they can choreograph legitimate over-the-top extravaganzas --- other people just endure a season that is a reminder of loss and disappointment. Losses and disappointments come in all sizes - and that's as much as I'm going to say about that. I'm old enough and wise enough to make only general statements  - but, I did want to thank my pen pals and readers for our connection. It might be through emails or exchanges - or maybe even through the ozone. 

Whatever our connection is - and whether you revel in or struggle to endure the month of December --- I'm grateful and I hope that we all make it through the inevitable ups and downs of this season -- or -- for that matter --  any day/week/month/year/decade/century. 

I should have saved this for my Dec 31st post - dang.