I do.
And I'm about to be found. There's no way around it. I can't make to the base before I'm caught because there is no base. And I can't keep hiding indefinitely because there is no forever-indefinitely in this life.
I'm going to be found in a week.
I'm going to be found by the holidays.
I do love them. I put up some lights yesterday on our "Thanksgiving" tree. And if you look at the picture on the left you will see the table (which has two leaves) I was given by a dear friend. I now have plenty of room for us to gather round.
Why do I want to hide from this joyous time?
Because my baby won't be there.
The holidays have a gaping hole when you've lost someone dear to you. Mine is a skinny but a gaping hole nonetheless. It's name is Maggie.
One of the reasons I was very happy to move earlier this year was that I no longer had to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in the house where my baby lived. If I wasn't there where the hole began, maybe that hole would stay put.
Maybe that's running away.
But there's no running away in Life's game of Hide and Seek. It still finds us. And that hole trotted up right behind my car. It's been sitting inside my house waiting to say, "Aha! Gotcha!"
And if I'm honest I'm glad it's there. It's a testimony to the incredible life my almost-12 year old lived.
And I have much to be joyful for. I do. And I am.
And life goes on for me and for you. It must or surely we'd all perish.
And there's always hope. And it isn't about us anyway. Thanksgiving is the day we consider all the blessings we have been given. And Christmas is about Jesus, His birthday, His love, His joy, His Everlasting Hope and Life for all who believe in Him.
And so we start new traditions. I have told the whole family we are going to have fun Thanksgiving Day. We're going to play poker with M & Ms and maybe some Uno and I hope we will laugh a lot. We will listen to a silly '70s CD I bought from the library in Pierre a couple of years ago.
Cherish your family. Enjoy them. Everyone wants to be enjoyed. Everyone wants to know they are wanted. Listen to each other. And smile. And laugh. And be at peace. And believe in Jesus for He loves you so much.