Christmas Time

I had a wonderful Christmas this year with my family. I spent Christmas day and the day after with my grandparents and the rest of the family. It is my favorite time of year and I love spending time with them and got the opportunity to spend the night at their house. It always makes it feel like Christmas when I'm at their house.
This year got me thinking as I watched my family, it was interesting to see how the dynamic had changed. I remember the years when I was the young one clamoring to hand out the Christmas presents and rushing to open mine as soon as I could.
Things have slowly changed over the years but this year it truly set in. The children rushing to hand out presents were 7 kids of mine and my sisters. The confusion of Grandpa and Grandma was obvious when gifts were exchanged between my parents and my grandparents. The crying baby was no longer one of my aunts children but my own. My aunts have become great aunts and even though this happened 8 years ago it came to reality this weekend.
It's amazing to see all the changes, marriage, divorce, children growing, adults aging. You don't ever realize what you have until it's gone and I have to say that this year was one of the best Christmases because of it. There was joy in every person there. There was no discord, no stress, just a time of peace.
I guess my eyes were truly opened this Christmas because they have been opened in so many other areas of my life. I saw my dad and how he was aging and I realized that my grandparents are older than I think they are. To me they have always been young and able to do anything and I saw their age through my dad. Things are changing, the children are growing older. A new generation is rising and I know that my grandparents are full of life but it's time for us to take care of them.
It's like waking up and realizing that years have passed you by, years that could have been used for a better purpose. To care for the ones you love, to be the helping hand. It's not about taking over or taking charge, it's about showing your love. I feel that I have not shown my family how much I truly appreciate them, from my grandparents, to my parents, aunts and uncles. Thank you for your lives that have been a guide for mine, for better or worse I have watched and learned. I hope that I have learned well enough to be a blessing on each ones life.