Christmas without cynicism. Okay, now I’m starting to feel much better. I will not let Hairagami ruin my holidays.

My mom flies in from Albuquerque today. It’s going to be so good to see her again. When we first moved to Austin I had a really hard time emotionally. I’d never lived more than driving distance from my family, my home. And as exciting as it was to really fly the coop and move to Austin, it became harder and harder as time went on, realizing just how far away mom and dad were, how far away old friends were.

The deeper the roots get here, though, the closer mom and dad and old friends seem to be. There’s something about stability that makes the impossible seem possible. For me, stability is making those 800-odd miles seem like a skip hop and a jump. They’re really not that far away after all.

Happy Chanukah, Blod Yule, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas (or as Dave prefers, M.C., y’all. Well ok the y’all part is mine).