Christmas - Season of Extremes

Christmas is a lot more than we sometimes give it credit for. Beyond the obviousness of gift-giving, Christmas is an amplifier of human emotions. Family becomes a reference that is only heightened.

As my son enjoyed his 11th Christmas this year, his joy of the thought of the day was as high as it was on the actual day itself. He was feeling a bit under the weather, the second year in a row. But he soldiered on, did some speed-unwrapping, and headed up to bed. We brought up a sound machine (ocean waves, rain, birds), some Sonic plush toys, and some love from Mom and Dad. And his face was alight. It's not just gifts, it's family, it's love, it's togetherness.

Well, until he's had enough of his parents, because it's time to play...like any other kid, off to cause trouble. The best of moments.

But there is another side that is equally as difficult, which is the loss of family close to Christmas. My wife received a horrible phone call that her sister's husband, Danny, had died of a heart attack. One week before Christmas. No matter how festive we may want to be, it's the worst of moments, heart-breaking. My thoughts about Danny and Diane this year are mostly silent, but constant.

Thoughts of mortality have really been surrounding me in the last months. Days before Thanksgiving, my wife had an MRI because she was losing the feeling in her arm. They ushered us over to Emergency -- subdural hematoma. She spent the night in Neural Intensive Care, and had surgery the next morning to relieve the blood that had compressed her brain. Very, very scary stuff. Amazingly, they discharged her the next day, home for Thansgiving dinner (which our neighbors cooked for us). Guess what we were thankful for? She is lucky to be alive. My son and I are lucky we still have her this Christmas.

The greatest gift at Christmas is family. Enjoy them while you can.

-- Cole Joplin