My husband recently bought me a fun, Christmas-themed blanket for our bed. You wouldn’t believe how soft this thing is. Well, Hank (our aging yellow lab) and Azalea (our geriatric, balding cat) discovered the comfort of the new blanket and proceeded to spend every moment they could manage sleeping on our bed.

It didn’t take long for the new cover to be littered with critter hair. YUCK!

I pulled the blanket from the bed to wash and dry it. Now that may sound simple, but we’re having trouble with our dryer, which makes each load a test of my questionable patience.

That night we slept cozy with the fresh scent of dryer sheets filling our room. Awww.

The next morning my youngest daughter drug herself down the stairs. The fact that she had gotten herself up was a miracle in itself. Mornings are not her thing. I asked her why she was up already. Oh, how I wished I hadn’t even asked.

Apparently the sounds of the cat puking had disturbed her dreams. Yep, right there on my freshly washed blanket. Not only that, but it had gone all the way through to the sheets. I keep plenty of blankets on the bed so that was an accomplishment for the puker.

So I started and ended my day washing blankets and fighting the dryer. How fast things change.

That got me thinking, and you know when a puking cat gets you thinking, it’s probably not a good thing.

Last December everything looked perfect in my life. My career seemed to be swaying in a positive direction. We were all healthy. My relationships were strong. I was happy.

This December feels a bit like finding the cat has vomited on my fresh bedding.

But there will likely be another December in twelve months and maybe that one will find us in a easier time. I’ve been through enough to know that life goes on and good time show up again.

So we’ll enjoy Christmas regardless of the mess, and I pray you will have a sweet time this year too.