Christmas Came Early

Well, actually lots of amazing gifts have been arriving at our house.  Wonderful gifts that remind us of friends from afar and one particular meat and cheese platter that makes this ball gown diet I'm on quite a challenge. :)
Today's gift is the kind that can't be bought and the kind I need to write about so maybe....perhaps........somehow, someway in ten years I can remember just a moment of it.  Ben really struggled to go down for nap today.  My guess is the cookie making at school as even as I left his room he was chanting, "more cookie."
Well, he finally gave in but awoke little more than a hour later.  My usual attempts did little to settle him so I got him up and gave him a drink of milk and set him on the sofa in front of the tree wrapped in the softest throw on earth (one of those said wonderful gifts from afar received last year,) and thought he'd drift back to sleep.  
As I peeked at him he asked for me and I scooped him up for a cuddle.  He snuggled in with his head on my chest, nearly horizontal thanks to our deep sofa, and within minutes was fast asleep.  I held him there as he snored away with the lights on the tree the only light in the room besides the quickly setting sun outside.  
I daydreamed about how Christmas morning might go and about how much less room he took up on me when he snuggled like this as a wee thing.  I tried to focus some upcoming decisions on him and what's best for him and thought a lot about how all he needs.......and any of us need.....is love, and that love will always be in surplus in Ben's world.  I thought a lot about the families in need we are giving to this season and about all we have and how overwhelmingly blessed we are.  
Finally, I gave gratitude to the universe for those rare 35 minutes of maternal bliss and for our beautiful tree in our Tiny Tudor that sits in a place on this earth that is pure perfection to me.  Even the castle next door with it's very kind inhabitants....................in that moment of bliss I even wished the castle the blessings of the season..........really!!

What I wish most for everyone during this season and throughout the year, is the gift of feeling GRATITUDE-way deep down in your soul-it really is the best feeling there is.