CHANGE

This is for my father, who is probably sitting in front of the television alone on this day. My mother is on-call at the hospital, much like my sister who is some 3,000 miles away. I’m with my husband and children, somewhere in the middle. But, when the six of us are together (my mother, father, two sisters, and one brother), my dad is the happiest DJ on earth. My mother doesn’t know a thing about his music. But with a little bit of Chivas, she becomes a dancing machine. Though Nat King Cole is his perennial favorite, Bing Crosby emerges at Christmastime. And then I feel like a little girl again. And there’s a warmth of heart that can only be felt at these particular moments of time. And then… it’s gone a few hours later, when my parents have retired to their rooms to watch their Asian movies and the kids are in the family room watching DVDs from Blockbuster. My oldest sister is punching the bottoms of the chocolate, leaving all the fruit-filled confections, and snapping up all the chocolates with nuts.

Christmas for our family was never a religious holiday. But… I’m thinking family can be a religious experience. Love you guys…