Today I Will Be Jolly

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’m going to try to keep it at around 500 but there is much to say about the picture below.

I snapped it yesterday intending to post something about getting ready for Christmas and to reference my old recipe book that is yellowing around the edges. However, when I looked at the picture after I took it, I realized just how much was represented in this one shot.

I didn’t mean to include all of the things they just happened to be in the same place – captured in the same photo.

Let me break it down.

A few weeks ago, my sister showed up at my door with the cute wooden sign that says TODAY I WILL BE JOLLY. She handed it to me and said with a smile, “Here you go…one day at a time.”

As many of you know, I battle on and off with depression and my sister knew that lately it had been “on.” The plaque was a perfect reminder of how important it is to make the decision to take each day as it comes and make the best of it.

The open recipe book on the counter was made for me by my mom and given to me for Christmas the year I was engaged to be married. She wanted to start me off with some family recipes and I’ve added to it over the years. I’ve always loved referring to it but it is bittersweet now to see her handwriting on the top left hand side knowing that she is no longer here. Bitter because she is no longer here, sweet because I have this treasure to remind me of her and her love.

The tea set above the book is a collection she also started for me when I was engaged. What I wouldn’t give to have a cup of Christmas tea with her! The beautiful thing about my Spode collection is that after my mother was no longer able to add to it, her sister (my aunt) took over the tradition and has given me a place setting every year. We always have a huge crowd on Christmas Day and now I have enough for everyone at the table and extras.

The recipe on the page has become a family tradition for us at Christmastime. It is the recipe of my husband’s German grandmother – a favorite of his from his childhood. She is no longer with us, but each year we enjoy her Sauerbraten and Semmelknödel and lovingly remember her.

And then…at the top right hand corner is a picture I keep on my windowsill of the first time I held my granddaughter, Ezra Darling. A perfect example of something (among many things) I have to be JOLLY about right here and now.

Tomorrow she will come to my house and we will bake together. She will wear one of my aprons and it will be like a gown on her little two year old frame. We will laugh and make a mess and I will do my very best to live in the moment because each one is precious.

I could have kept this to myself. In fact, a big part of me would rather not broadcast the fact that I’ve been struggling lately. But I know I am not alone. And chances are, if the title of this blog appealed to you enough for you to read it, you may be needing to make a conscious decision to be JOLLY lately too.

And that’s the point. That’s why I share. To let you know that you are not alone. To give you a gentle reminder as my sister did for me that we just need to take it one day at a time.

So, together, let’s decide that TODAY WE WILL BE JOLLY. And then tomorrow we can decide all over again if we need to.

Wishing you lots of jolly moments and all of the peace and joy this beautiful season represents.

Merry Christmas!

Tracey xo