Reflections...

Tonight as I stood on the pier looking out over the water, I was totally enthralled with the reflection in the water. There was just the slightest of breezes making tiny ripples on the water. Just as darkness settled in, the solar lights on the net/ Christmas Tree lit. The reflection of these multi-colored lights was even more vivid than the those on the tree itself! The ripples multiplied the effect of the lights at least tenfold. Those tiny ripples spread out the reflections of the tiny dot lights to being large streaks of light at least a foot long. I stood staring at the shimmery tree in the water and thought of how sometimes things seem much larger than they truly are. Those tiny ripples plus the tiny dots of light made a huge impression!

Sometimes our holiday traditions are a lot like those glittery streaks in the water. What starts as a small incident can sometimes snowball into a huge situation if it is allowed. In most cases, it is best to stop things from ever getting to this point but then again, if it is a good thing...let 'er snowball! Case in point...this cookie making thing that will happen tomorrow. Darling Daughter, Elizabeth, is on her way down for a Christmas visit. She and her husband, Robbie, are driving her little red sleigh..er..car loaded with everything and then some to spend a few days on the Bayou. I know that tomorrow will be spent in the kitchen. Flour will fly, mixers will spin, pans will rattle and the most enticing aromas will fill the house. A myriad of cookies, cakes and candies will soon fill the dining room table. These goodies will be packed in tins, boxes, bags and baskets to be delivered to family and friends..but not before each batch is sampled! This tradition started years ago when she was just a little tyke. The kids and I would spend days and days in the kitchen baking anything that sounded yummy. At first, these goodies were shared with just grandparents, then aunts and uncles were added to the list and now, that list has grown to include neighbors and friends. The idea behind the bakefest sharing snowballed into a full-blown tradition and not a bad one at that! This gift-giving of baked goodies has a way of making holidays even more special..not only for those on the receiving end of the delicious treats but for Elizabeth and me! We spend the day laughing, talking and sharing. It is a special time that is like those reflections in the water. The more cookies we bake, the better time we have...the more ripples in the water, the bigger the reflections. Ahh...life is good!