Just Life

Looking Back | December.

If only time could be seen whole, then you could see the past remaining intact, instead of vanishing in the rearview mirror.

Dani Shapiro, Signal Fires

One of the (many) things I loved about Signal Fires was how it looked at time, and perhaps more specifically, how Shapiro wrote about time. In the acknowledgements, she credits Jennifer Egan for suggesting “over a decade ago that chronology of any sort is boring.” I certainly feel that way about the books I read! and maybe not so much about my own life?! These looking back posts are all about chronology … memories presented in order, one day at a time. and for me, anyway, they are anything but boring.

I really love how much this year’s December resembles 2021. except with a puppy and more of our two favorite little boys (they were here for two after school Mondays, two sleepovers, and a Hannukah party!) The amaryllis grew a little faster, and I didn’t get that fun selfie with my sister when we watched White Christmas (or that not-so-fun selfie when we were parked outside the emergency room a week later … a memory I’m very glad we didn’t repeat!)

There was one very fun thing that didn’t make my daily grid because I didn’t take the photos. Kudos to Katie for the ones of us with Lucy and the boys … and to Rob for the first photo of “the four of us” since I can remember.

The outtakes from that last photo are a whole month of happy.

and that feels like the perfect way to (finally!) say good-bye to 2022!

Except for asking what made your happy list last month?!

10 thoughts on “Looking Back | December.”

  1. Those little boys, Mary. What a treasure! (And not so little anymore.) Here’s to a wonderful new year ahead for you and your family. XOXO

  3. The outtakes are the best! Right on top of my happy list from last month is the bat mitzvah. Watching my “baby” handle it with so much maturity and poise and then celebrating with so many family and friends was truly more wonderful than I could have imagined.

  4. Lucy does not look amused in the first photo, but then kissing Sam is pretty priceless. I just finished a big photo archiving project and it was fun looking back on them.

  5. Those are really wonderful photos! I wonder why time is speeding up as I age and when did those boys get so grown-up?!

  6. The outtakes!! Great shots. Also love the picture of you and Marc and your girls. So pretty! Topping off my Happy List for December was going to Austin and spending Christmas with the kids!

  7. Those pictures! And smiles! And Lucy’s fantastically focused pose in that pic with you and Marc. Oh my goodness. (He seems to adore her just as much as you do!)
    Getting Audrey and her dear boyfriend her despite the SW Airlines fiasco–so we were all together for the holidays!–definitely topped my list. And even better, that we got 5 extra days with them because of that mess! I’ll take it 🙂

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