My Instead: After Christmas shopping for the
first time together, Annette and I visited the Way of Lights at the National Shrine
of Our Lady of the Snows.
Finding time…that’s one of the many keys to
maintaining a long distance relationship. Last weekend was supposed to carry on
into Monday because my girlfriend Annette had taken that day off.
Unfortunately, she’s the supervisor and when you can’t get enough employees to
cover all the daily duties, you’re the one that has to fill in the blanks. As
it turned out, Annette left on Monday morning, instead of Tuesday. We were both
disappointed since our time spent together seems never enough.
But here’s the good news. Annette arranged to take off on Wednesday! She arrived at my house around midday, right as I
was finishing my only job of the day. Our plan was to shop ‘til we drop for
Christmas gifts. We spent quite some time in Big Lots getting gifts for my grandkids from her. As we scurried around the store, I tried to recall the last
time I had Christmas shopped with a girlfriend. I don't remember it being this much fun! Annette is so easy going
and always ready to find the good in any situation. Since shopping is something
neither of us really gets all whooped up about, this trait of being
positive comes in pretty handy at Christmas time. Closing in on five hours of this
brutal activity was enough for me. I lamented to Annette that sometimes I think
shopping is harder than working.
As we drew near to my neck of the woods, I mentioned to Annette
that I still had to do my “instead” for the day; or as I put it, my “thing”.
Even though I had just visited it ten days earlier, I suggested that we drive
through the Way of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows since she
had never been before. She hesitated a bit because she still had some emails to
send out for work and it was past 8 o’clock, but then she agreed. She knows how
important my “insteads” and my subsequent blogs are to me.
As with most first timers coming to view the Way
of Lights, she was in awe. While I was hinting at a carriage ride or a camel
ride, she was satisfied just following the lighted course. She had to get back
to my house and send out those emails...I understood. Another time for all that, I
thought.
Annette and I got to share something together that
was so familiar to me, yet new to her. Seeing it through her eyes and hearing
her reaction somehow made it feel like my first time all over again. I guess I take
this beautiful place for granted because of its close proximity. And after all,
I’ve been in Belleville all my life. But this is the year that I’ve grown to
look at things (yes, even the same old things) with new eyes. And being with
Annette makes that so much easier.
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| That's me at the Way of Lights...again |
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| And Annette - her first time at the Way of Lights |
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