Drove to LaGrange today to buy shrimp for our Christmas dinner tomorrow. The sun kissed my face all the way over to Georgia, warming me cheek like a sun burn. The morning was beautiful, just a picture of blue sky, lot of little flocks of birds flying from one side of the road to the other, like they were guiding me on my way. I’m guessing they were finches since they’ve just arrived in my yard, too. When I crossed the river bridge I have never seen the water more beautiful, a deep purple, covered in God’s wondrous glitter. The water was glistening and sparkling with the sun highlighting the little ripples in the water. I wanted to stop and take a photograph but a pulp wood truck was riding my bumper. I think that’s prettiest I’ve ever seen a body of water look, hard to describe how unusually lovely it was. I mentioned it to my mailman this afternoon and his description was the same as mine. He said, “I’ve seen it that way before. It looked like glitter was floating on the water.” Another divine present from God this morning and I’ll never forget the beauty of the river’s waters.

On the way back home I watched the sun play the piano on the naked tree trunks of the forest as I drove by. I love how the sun’s shadows run through the trees, like a hand running up the piano keys. I can hear the music they play. The sun kissed my cheek all the way home, too, beaming through the window of the car and for a brief moment I felt Chief’s presence. I longed for him when I was washing the collards this afternoon. He was always the washer and the grower of the holiday collards. He’d pick his collards when they were young before they got so big and they were always delicious. Oldest brother grew them last year but I forgot to remind him this year. Guess I could probably grow enough in one of my huge garden pots so maybe I’ll become the collard grower. That would make Chief proud!

Didn’t have a moment to ponder on the sunset tonight but when I went out on the porch to take a peek it was so pretty in its pale hues. Layers of pink and turquoise and vanilla quietly stroking the golden horizon as the bright sun turned off the day’s light and woke the night. Made me think of the coconut candy my mother-in-law would occasionally buy and enjoy. The packages always had three little rows of colored candy. I miss her. She always gave me a beautiful dress for my birthday from Frohsin’s. Frohsin’s would send out a box of dresses and I’d try them on and pick one. Those days are long gone now. We’d always laugh and call my new dress my wedding and funeral dress. She was always so sweet to me. I miss her!

Life is truly what we make it. We can have sunny days even when there are storms blowing if we’ll just stop and be grateful for the many blessings we have. No matter how bleak things look, if we try we can find a ray of sunshine through our faith in God. God gives us so many wondrous blessings and we just take them for granted and don’t realize the significance of the little moments painting glorious pictures in our memories when we’re older. So many small moments go unobserved. The older I get, I’m more mindful of the little moments of happiness that God places in my life. The Chattahoochee River water was a gift from God today, his love for me scattered all over the top of the purple water.

I’m so happy to have my whole family coming for dinner tomorrow. Nobody has any other obligations this year so my mama and daddy’s’ children, their grandchildren, and great grandchildren, will all be gathered together in the home we grew up in, sharing Christmas dinner with each other in the home where my mother was born, the home where both my parents drew their last breath. Our family dinners are always full of laughter and love and memories that flow freely around the dinner tables. I thank God we are all happy and healthy this year. We McMurray’s are truly blessed!

“There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human, are created, strengthened and maintained.” — Winston Churchill