I can finally move on. This weekend, my mom’s urinalysis results reveal that everything is back to normal and her doctor has ordered her to stop taking her oral medication. Yey! Honestly, I’ve gotten dizzy from going back and forth the hospital for the almost day to day checking of her WBC count in the urinalysis to monitor the infection in the urinary tract — there was still a little when we were discharged [the doctor said after her lithotripsy procedure, infection was expected]. Praise God, I can now forget about it and finally embrace the Christmas festivities going around.
This year, I didn’t put up a tree. Just a miniature tabletop Christmas tree as shown in the picture above. That’s the Belen I got from Bethlehem when we went there earlier this year, by the way. Albeit without the tree, our house still bore the usual Christmas decors and trimmings because my husband wouldn’t hear any of it. My lack of enthusiasm was because I didn’t really feel like decorating when my mom was seriously sick and has not fully recovered.
This weekend, I’ve finished wrapping about 90% of the presents I bought as early as October. Had I not do that earlier, I think I would have also foregone the gift giving — because of my mom’s situation. I mean, the budget for that would have already been spent for my mom’s hospitalization too [it was not cheap!].
Since last year, I’ve stopped buying those really expensive Christmas wrappers. It’s a waste of money and it’s a waste of the earth’s resources. People just tear up the wrappers and we have so much garbage after the Christmas season. I can vouch for that. Even in our household, there are just so many torn up Christmas wrappers after I open my presents. What I did? I followed my cousin. A few Christmases ago, she started wrapping her gifts with old newspaper and just put a ribbon and the Christmas gift tag. Me? Since I have so many of my students’ case digests that I don’t return for fear that they may just pass it on to the lower years who will be taking the same subject later, I used their case digests. I put a green ribbon and the usual gift tag and that’s it. I saved a lot of wasted money, but more than that, I spared the earth of unwanted garbage. Oh, but that only goes for my presents to my closest family and friends who understand my intention and who I’m sure know me enough not to think I’ve gone crazy and cheap.
For the rest, I am left with no choice but to wrap the gifts with the usual wrapper. I don’t want them to be offended, lest they think I treated them cheaply by using old paper.
Christmas is just around the bend and the nine mornings will start in a few days. I don’t think I have something grand to ask for my nine day novena. Instead, I’ll finish it all as thanksgiving for He healed my mother of her life threatening sickness. For that, all my family members will be singing His praises this Christmas.
A blessed Christmas to all!
