I wrote this piece at New Year’s but have been late posting here. I hope that you are haveing a good start to 2025
Happy New Year!
I feel like writing a general update on everyone.
Justin had a great Christmas/birthday. He was the only child who had a list of presents, which made it easy to gift him. He received everything from a box of bubble wrap and duct tape to the hurdy gurdy that he’s been obsessing over all year. Now I need to find a hurdy-gurdy teacher. Justin is small for his age, but I expect to see a jump in weight and height now that he’s twelve years old.
Xenia had the best Christmas ever because our friends from Fort Worth came for Christmas. They found an air B&B down the road from our house and ate most of their meals with us. Xenia basked in the presence of one of her best friends from Fort Worth and her sister. It was a few days of unconditional love, acceptance and understanding that she misses in her life here in Albuquerque. The girls her age at church are the best of friends with each other. When I see them connected at the hip, I am happy for them knowing how much seeing my friends helps make church feel like a family, and sad for Xenia. Xenia is hoping that there will be a new student at school when it starts up because it seems like everyone is paired up there too. Middle school is so hard. Maybe high school will be better. Over the break, she has gotten her days and nights mixed up and stays up till two or three in the morning. I hope that her school routine in January will help her get back on schedule.
Jonah is still struggling to finish his first semester classes. A stomach bug is rolling through the house and hit him first and hardest. I was hoping he’d be able to finish his reading and the last essay this week, but it might not happen. We gave up on Chemistry because I don’t understand it and neither does he. Instead, he will take an online astronomy class. He was able to spend the night in the East Mountains with Basil and their friends from church last weekend. He’s so much happier when he spends time with them.
Basil flew to Ohio to help Esther and John Ben move out of their house. Mike and I were buying ourselves dishes for Christmas when Basil called.
“Hey Mom, I missed my flight.”
Turns out his flight had been delayed so he left to walk about the airport. In the meantime, they changed the gate, and his flight came and went without him.
I was glad that I’m his person to call but couldn’t help thinking that there wasn’t anything I could do. It was definitely a “you problem.”
I said, “What you need to do is walk to the gate where the plane left, find an employee and tell them that you missed the plane. She’ll help you.”
I didn’t hear back from him, but the app on my phone showed him in Steubenville, Ohio later that evening.
The original plan was for Esther and Misha to spend the moving week with us in Albuquerque. Basil, John Ben, and John Ben’s step dad would pack everything up into the storage pods and then drive the two cars to Fort Worth. Unfortunately, Eddie got sick and flew home early after they packed all the furniture into the first pod. They had so much stuff that they had to order another pod for the boxes. They packed up one car and sent Basil on his way. I had no idea about the plan change until Basil called me at nine at night.
“I’m in Tennessee and I’m tired. Can you get me a hotel room?
The answer to that was no. No hotels want to rent a room to an eighteen-year-old boy. I called around to make sure. Then I looked at a map where he was, thought about all my friends around the country, and realized I had a friend in Memphis. She had taught at the kids’ school in Fort Worth and gave private piano lessons before moving to Tennessee to be with family. We had stayed in touch through Facebook. I had no other way to contact her, so I messaged her, “Are you up?”
She was and even though she has a million kids under the age of five and was hosting other people for Christmas, she had an open sofa for Basil. I am ever so grateful for a friend who would open her home late at night for my boy. What a blessing she was.
Basil spent a week in Fort Worth with his friends. When he did come home, it was wonderful for me though he looked very thin. His first night here he wrestled his younger brothers into submission and verbally jousted with Xenia. Once he had proved his brotherly dominance, he settled into the flow of our family life. I just need him to sign up for his spring classes. I’m not sure why he’s dragging his feet.
Esther and Misha had flown to Texas to be with John Ben and his folks for the holidays, so she only saw Basil for a couple of days in Ohio. The rest of us doted on Baby Misha for the week they were here. I got the most adorable pictures of him sitting on the presents under the tree with a big red bow on his head. He is the best present of 2024. Esther stayed busy writing admission papers for various PhD programs. I look forward to them living with us this spring when Esther and John Ben finish up their master’s programs. Who knows where they will head next? Personally I’m rooting for my alma mater Notre Dame.
Sophia finished her first semester of Art School. She made a piece I adore which I call “Broken Sweetness.” It’s a picture of syrup dripping from a broken heart box. I ordered a print and a refrigerator magnet of it. It speaks to me. She also made me a Christmas decoration of a model of me ice skating. She’s got a head covering, a jean skirt, and shawls. She captured my essence. Sophia has an eye for art and keeps secreting away our recyclables for beautiful masterpieces.
Life is good. We have so much to be thankful for. School doesn’t start for another couple of weeks, and we are about to have our annual waltz dance and four-course dinner. It was so much fun last year that we decided to go ahead even though Esther and John Ben won’t be here to dance with us.
Love,
Syra
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