Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas


Well, I’ve finished work for a couple of weeks to spend some time with my family over the festive period and I will be coupling with this some ‘down time’ from the Internet too.

So this is me signing off until the New Year.

It’s a Christmas of firsts: my daughter’s first Christmas, the first Christmas since my wife became the legal parent of my son and our first Christmas married. So tomorrow will be an exciting day. We’re having both mine and Chloe’s families at our house for dinner so the preparation is well underway already.

Then between Christmas and New Year is my son’s 8th birthday before we celebrate a family New Year.

It will be a busy one and I cannot wait.

To all of you, I wish a very, very Merry Christmas and an incredibly Happy New Year with friends, family and loved ones.

Here’s to a 2012 filled with joy and smiles.

I’ll speak to you all in the New Year :)

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Simple Things


The things that make me the happiest are the simple ones. Yes, we all love to go on holidays to the Caribbean and we all enjoy indulgence and certain materialisms. But what really makes me happiest is the stuff that some people might consider boring.

I like coming home from a long day at the office and sitting down to dinner. I like helping out my son with his homework and talking to my wife about the day we’ve had. Some people think sitting in front of a movie is dull. But for me, family movie time is some of the most precious there is.

I know of nothing more beautiful than those quiet moments in the evening as Chloe rests her head on my chest on the sofa, as my son sits on the other side of me and we all hold our little baby girl between us. I know of nothing more beautiful than that.

I crave nothing more than the smell of Chloe’s hair first thing in the morning. I love nothing more than the sound of my son’s footsteps coming towards our bedroom on a Sunday morning and there’s no sweeter sound than that of a tiny baby girl giggling to herself from her cot. Could there be anything better?

I think not.

The simple things might not be to everyone’s tastes, but for me they are the most perfect of things in the most perfect of times and I feel as grateful as I have ever felt for anything.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Connections


I believe we only ever truly connect with a handful of people in our lifetimes. We can have close friends, lovers, confidantes… but I believe those we have a real connection with are few and far between.

What I mean by a real connection is one such that you know when they’re down, even if they’re not with you, even if you haven’t spoken to them that day… you just know. You can’t explain how but you just feel it.

You also know when they’re happy. You know when something is going well for them. You feel happy too even if they haven’t shared it.

You say the same things at the same times. You know when they’re thinking about you… You have an intrinsic understanding of how what you say or do will impact them.

When you have a connection like that with someone, you’re at your most vulnerable to them and they to you. You give yourself (whether by choice or not) and you just have to hope they will cherish what you give.

I’ve experienced such a connection but a handful of times.

Fortunately for me, though, one such connection became my wife and the Mother of my beautiful daughter and NOW also the legal parent of my son.

Yes, the legal adoption process for Chloe to become recognised as my son’s parent is now complete. Success!

He’s as happy as she is… and what great timing.

Merry Christmas :)