Blessings

Allow me to introduce to you.............(drumroll please)..........Kara Elizabeth!Kara is my youngest granddaughter. Isn't she beautiful? Being the grandmother of Miss Maddy Moose (age 8) who is the cutest, most gorgeous and most incredibly adorable little girl in the whole wide world, I happen to know a little something about beautiful granddaughters. Oh sure, you can't really tell for yourselves just what a perfect child Miss Kara is (these black and white photos can be so unsatisfactory sometimes, don'tcha know) but trust me when I say that she is a breathtaking sight to behold. And she's due to make her grand arrival sometime in the first half of May (unless something changes). The doctor says she's a little big for her "age" so either she'll be born sooner than we think or she's going to be born chubby (and there ain't nothin' wrong with that, or so says her chunky granny!).

This next bit can't compare to the beauty of our baby Kara, but I want to share it with you anyway. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Randey got tickets for us to attend the Home for the Holidays show at the Ft. Worth Symphony Sunday evening. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it was. They performed some of my all time favorites, like Carol of the Bells, White Christmas, Ave Maria, O Holy Night and Sleigh Ride. There was even a perfectly charming duet of Baby, It's Cold Outside sung by the Conductor (Ron Spigelman) and the Soprano (Julie McCoy). I simply don't know when I've had a better auditory treat (excluding all my children's band recitals, of course. Those were a joy and a pleasure to attend all their own and nothing but nothing can compare to them!). When Ms. McCoy sang Ave Maria, I was transfixed by the sheer clarity of her voice. Each individual note seemed to stir my senses in a way that actually surprised me. And when the orchestra played White Christmas, I simply shut my eyes and was magically transported to a place of pure beauty and bliss. I've wanted to do that for so long....sit in a concert hall and shut my eyes while the music swells all around me. The experience Sunday night was everything I'd ever hoped it would be. Pure magic. Ahhhhhhh............ The only thing that could have made it any better would have been if my boys had been there. All three of them love music (in all forms) and I think they would have felt this musical event just as I did, with their eyes, their ears, their hearts and their minds. (And no, I'm not forgetting that I have a daughter. I'm just pretty sure she wouldn't have loved it. To Des, if it isn't country, it's not worth listening to. Sometimes that kid just baffles me.) We're going to look into taking Kaleb and Jacob to a performance soon. As for me, I could go every week and never grow tired of listening. Magic, I tell 'ya. Pure magic.

I was reflecting this morning on all the many wonderful things that have occurred in my life lately. I'm happy to say I suffer from an embarrassment of blessings! My boys and my husband, who showed me that Christmas means more to them than just the presents. My beautiful baby granddaughter, who is healthy and happily growing in her mommy's belly. A chance to hear a real, live symphony. Life doesn't always feel this great. My cousin's unexpected passing was a big blow to so many of us. The anniversary of my grandson's birth and passing always brings a feeling of bittersweet longing. But these sad and terrible events do help me to appreciate the blessings all that much more. And for that, I am thankful.