Happy Hour

We went to bed early on New Year's Eve, but I awoke at 11:30 feeling worried about our 16-year-old granddaughter.  I had no reason to feel uneasy, other than she, like a lot of  other young people, was probably out celebrating the coming of the new year.  I prayed for her to be safe, as I know she is a new driver and is sometimes over-confident.  I tried to banish negative thoughts from my mind and got up and turned on the computer.

The first thing I saw was her smiling face with her friend, published only 20 minutes before, wishing everyone a happy new year!  It was an hour later in their time zone and already 2014 there. It was like an answer to my prayer to see her safe and sound!  By then our clock was chiming the hour, and I heard the boom of fireworks and other noises of celebration here at home.

Just a few days, ago we were having milk shakes with her in Georgia.  She had driven us to town late one afternoon to pick up something Pa-Pa wanted.  "It's Happy Hour, so the shakes are half price," she said as she wheeled up to the sleek brick and glass structure.  And it was a happy hour we spent together, nibbling fries and enjoying her teen chatter.

I just had a happy hour at home this evening, going through some keepsake papers I had saved from our kids' school days.  A storage box I hadn't seen in years surfaced when we were moving some things, prompting a trip down memory lane as I dug through it.  I decided to sort the papers and put them in binders.  I just filled one with childhood drawings, certificates and school work of Jamie, our youngest.  Naturally, I had more of his. I had given the kids scrapbooks of their mementos years ago, but I think I have enough to make more.

Now that the holidays are behind us, I must be in an organizing mood.  Perhaps I'll take down my Christmas decorations tomorrow.  I had left them up a little longer since we were gone for 10 days of the Christmas season and hadn't grown tired of them.  It is snowing tonight, apropos for the first day of January.   I look forward to many more happy hours in this new year of 2014!