Losing a parent when still a child is so rough. My father died when I was 16. He was the kind, loving parent in my house. We all adored him. Then he died suddenly of a heart attack. My mother who was just like one of us kids was left in charge. Us older kids moved out as soon as we could and my little sister was basically left to raise herself. I moved out at 17 to live with my boy friend and to go to college. Then I joined the Family at 19. I think if my father had still been alive I probably wouldn't have joined. He was my rock and I could tell him anything. I still miss him to this day and am sorry that he never got to play with my kids.

I hope we all have a good holiday experience this year. It doesn't have to be big and lavish to be wonderful. Sometimes just going for a walk with loved ones is enough. I look forward to having my children all here together. We only get together twice a year usually and I miss having them all close. I like sitting around in our pjs Christmas morning, pulling stuff out of the stockings and laughing at each other.