It's about a quarter til five in the AM........Last night as we have for almost 15 years, we spent Christmas Eve with Connie and Wayne and their sons Ricky (16) and David (12). We are an "invented" family. Connie and I met when teaching together and something clicked. She was indeed the sister I never had. As it turned out, Wayne and I grew up in small towns only a few miles apart and at the same time, but we'd never met and equally spooky is that our family cemetery plots border each other in the old cemetery back home. They are our family and we theirs, though today they will spend Christmas as always at Connie's parents with Wayne's Dad and sister there too.

Why am I telling you this? I suppose it's because that Karen and I have a truly "wonderful life" and it's made special by our friends. Although Karen has sisters and her Mom in Atlanta, I have no living relatives and our boys (9) have had the benefits of a warm loving family because we have had the "luxury" of choosing that family. Connie and Wayne and Karen and I have weathered so much in the past years and in every case we have always "been there" for each other, in every instance, no matter what. We feel no stronger as family on Christmas Eve than we do any other time, but the traditions of things we do on that day down to the Oyster stew are touchstones in our lives and when they are here on New Year's Day, we'll kind of complete the feeling.....another year, more deeply bonded, and closer than many bio families ever are.

We got home at 1 AM and "Santa" finished the stockings off at about 2 and copped a couple hours sleep. We'll have a nice Christmas, Michael will get all the biggies on his list, Tristan will be happy with having things to unwrap.....as long as one of them is a "big truck." They are the lights of our life and although I considered killing them the past week as they were driven by the Christmas spirit to be the pains in the ass that kids can be at this time of year, in a few hours they'll be playing with the new things both have been dreaming about. We'll have leg of lamb for Christmas dinner and Karen and I will count our many blessings, not hte least of which are all of you here at the 'Cat. A number of you will get calls today as we continue to invent our family.

Well, it's time for me to build a fire in the fireplace and then wake up the finest life partner anyone has ever or will ever have. We'll spend a few moments together quietly before the onslaught of two excited young boys..........and she'll get her stuffed bear, another tradition with a story far too long to tell.

Merry Christmas to all of you.....I value your friendship and this place more than words can say.

Spaw