Christmas reunions and such

For the sake of looking back.....

Saturday after Christmas we went to my parents house. This is the second time we have been there since the summer of 2013.

Last year I left this place a ghost town because there were matters weighed so heavy on my heart that to even begin to write here I risked letting them leak onto this space. I am not a private person and I'm sometimes a little too open with my heart. In reality, this is not just my story to tell and this place here that I've shared so many emotions is not really a safe haven. We are always accountable for our words and the stories we share. If not now, one day.

Coley showered my family with wonderful and numerous gifts, as usual.

I made her some cheap felt ornaments, as usual.

I haven't seen this little one since the day they left our care two summers ago. I don't know when I'll see her again. I don't know a lot of things but I do know I love her in a way that is real, in a way that doesn't always fit others expectations.
But I know it's true. I love her.

Hadn't seen Erik in near as long. He's disconnected from me which is natural under our family's estranged state and also his teen age.

And dear, dear Locke. You always stay the same friendly and neutral good guy that you've always been. Bless you, brother!