As I finished up Christmas cards, I realized there are two people I’d really like to send cards to, and I have no address for them. They moved in the last year. One of them has a name so common that Google turns up nothing whatsoever. Their email addresses bounce.
I’m pretty much stuck in the position of hoping they send a card to me. It stinks.
I miss people more at this time of the year than usual. I miss the people I’ve left behind and the ones who’ve left me behind, the ones who vanished and the ones who drifted away, and the ones who died. I miss my daughter and I miss my grandmothers.
I miss the way Christmases used to be when I was a kid, but then again, I wouldn’t go back because we have nice Christmases now too. Just different.
I’ll be back to my normal sarcastic self tomorrow, don’t worry. But for now, I’m stuck waiting for the mail truck to bring me back my friends.
It’s an interesting cycle. First the holidays are backward-looking, seeking the past and a fresh connection. Then New Years is forward-looking, towards the promise of renewal and a fresh tomorrow. Here’s hoping that truck brings you the connection you seek and 2008 brings you all the joy you could dream of.
Frequently I find that I miss people as much or more after I get a card from them. I used to write people letters after New Years’, reacting to what was said in their Christmas cards, but I haven’t done that in years now.
You know, I remember that. Was I a bad influence on you, or was it the cumulative effect of the Kiddos?
Mostly I think it started happening when vacation became a rationed commodity — that is, after grad school. So yeah, it lines up with when we got married and started having kids, but it’s more a coincidence than direct cause and effect…