I am really tired. I guess that might make sense since it’s almost Christmas, but as it turns out Christmas has nothing to do with it. It is term paper time in school and I have students in need of intense one-on-one for these papers. The good news is that I get paid to help; the bad news is that everybody needs help at the same time. So I’ve spent the better part of the last 5 days helping high school juniors in AP English write papers on Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Richard Wright’s Black Boy. I love reading and learning about the influences of these authors and what themes and literary devices are used in their books, but I just wish I could learn all of this in a slightly more leisurely fashion. Crammed into a few days, right after my sister-in-law’s death, and immediately following my husband’s emergency surgery makes for a tough week. Plus, Christmas is this week-end and guess who hasn’t even thought of putting up a tree yet? Yes, you guessed right.

Alas, I’m happy for the work and I’m happy to have work I love. So, I guess enough said.

Christmas may be a little more low-key this year, but that is a good thing, too.

I think I’ll celebrate all of this thankfulness by taking myself off to bed. That sounds like the greatest gift of all right now.

Good night.