My Teeth Are Fine

It was a very, very full day for me. First off- that dental appointment. My hygienist today was a woman whom I'd only met once before and I remembered I liked her and today I sort of fell in love with her. We started chatting- I like getting a conversation going if I'm anxious and I asked her if she had children and she said no, she wasn't even married yet but was getting married in March and we went from there. She's marrying her high school sweetheart and if I'm any judge of character, she truly loves her boy. She told me about the wedding venue and she just sounded so happy in a very real way. Genuine. And I told her it sounded perfect and asked where they were going on their honeymoon and she sort of ducked her head and said, "Well, you probably won't believe this but we're going to go hunting together in Texas. We love to hunt together." And she told me she can't wait to be out west where they're going to travel some, staying in tents and cabins, just her and her sweetie and again- she means it. 

I told her that my man hunts too but that I don't and we discussed how hunting can affect a marriage after the babies come and she's already concerned about that and asked my advice on how to handle it and I told her that I used to get very resentful when my husband went hunting and I was home with the kids on my own. But somehow, we worked it out and the best thing they could do is to make a plan before the babies start coming. 
I don't know why, but it was the sweetest visit. She was so grateful to find someone she could talk to about hunting which many people won't even discuss and by the time my teeth were clean, I think she was ready to invite me to her wedding. 
She told me over and over how much she'd enjoyed talking to me and then she said, "Merry Christmas and have a blessed day!" which is of course code for "I'm a Christian" and I told her that I hated Christmas and wasn't religious which I'm sure shocked her to pieces but I sort of wanted her to know that people who don't believe in her god can still be nice folks. I hope I did not offend her and that after some pondering she can accept me as I am, Christmas-hating and an obvious heathen.

And then, I went to lunch with a very old friend. He's not old but our friendship is. We haven't seen each other in years but he's a prolific FB poster and we've stayed in touch that way and sometimes through texts. He messaged me last night about something he was going through and I messaged him back saying, "Look, I'm going to be in town tomorrow. Let's meet for lunch." We used to meet for lunch every Christmas but somehow that went by the wayside but still- we're the sort of friends where you just pick up where you left off whether it's been a week or a decade since you last saw each other. 
I got to the restaurant first and when he walked up, my heart almost exploded. I was SO happy to see him. We hugged enough to make up all the years. And then we sat and talked and had a delicious lunch for over two and a half hours that went by in a second. Our relationship is not what I would call a normal relationship. We have, from the very beginning, been able to be completely honest with each other in ways that I cannot be with other people, even the ones I love the most. I think he feels the same way about me. I can't explain it, I can't really figure out why we're like this but we are. In some ways we could hardly be more different and in other ways, we are slam on twins.
And he knows I'll never judge him and I know he'll never judge me and we have supported each other through some pretty tough times. We are both survivors in our own ways, and we recognize that in each other and we honor that in each other. 
It's a beautiful thing. 

We finally parted and I had to go pick up a prescription and then go to Publix and my energy was just about depleted, even though the day had been full of good things. That's the way it goes sometimes for people who have trouble dealing with different situations. Publix wasn't easy but I had a few smiles even there with a couple whom I kept getting in the way of and whose path I kept crossing. 
"I'm stalking you!" I told them and the man said, "Well, it's nice to be stalked sometimes." 

And to top it all off, Lis called me just a little while ago and hearing her beautiful voice was like having an angel gently polish some wings on my back that I didn't even know where there. 

So it's been a GOOD day and now I need, once again, to get our supper made. 

And because pictures are great, here are two that came in our group text yesterday.

This was from Jessie's work party last night. She said she got a little annoyed with Santa because he lectured the boys on helping their mama and being sweet to each other. Those boys are as sweet as can be to each other- Jessie and I were just discussing this. And they help their mama. Mostly. 
Hank offered to kick that Santa right in the booty because that's what a good brother/uncle does. 

And this picture.

Y'all. That was my Owen about twelve years ago. When my mother lived in an assisted living place, they had a Christmas dinner for families every year and brought in a good Santa. Our whole family would attend. The lady photo-bombing the photo was not my mother but another resident of the place and we always get a laugh out of her presence there. But look at that beautiful little boy. My little prince. He looked so much like his mother. He still does. 

There you go. 

Love...Ms. Moon