Scott and I have discussed the concept of Santa and whether or not to introduce Cadence to the whole idea. We talked about the possibility of her thinking that we are not completely honest with her when she finds out that Santa doesn't exist. It's a dilemma we've struggled with. Being adopted, we want to be honest with her as she grows older, but we also want her to believe in things you cannot see. A couple of days after having this conversation, a package arrived from my mom. The package contained two holiday wrapped gifts.
One labeled: For Karen and Scott, from Mom
And one labeled: For Karen, from Santa.
It was perfect timing. I chided Scott that Santa still believes in me, therefore I believe in Santa. It was a logical conclusion, and an easy way to get the last laugh.
Today, I opened the gift from Santa. It's a beautifully painted, wooden Santa ornament that my grandmother had saved. Mom said in a note that Grandma had three of them in a cedar chest. After Grandma passed away, five years ago, Mom found them and kept them in Grandma's cedar chest. She said that she'd forgotten about them until now, and decided to send one of them to me this year. It's possible that Grandma had the three ornaments tucked away for myself and my two brothers, intending to give them to us before she passed on...and it's also possible that she had simply purchased three of them from a catelogue because of their beauty, and for a possible discount if you buy three or more...It doesn't matter.
What matters is that Santa was real for me today. I saw Santa's magic happen when I opened that gift. It's just a painted wooden ornament, but it's my treasure, and it means the world to me. . And I believe that if Grandma didn't intend to give it to me while she was alive, she certainly intended to give it to me now. Grandma influenced Mom to send it now of all times, because she was using it to show me the importance of believing in things we cannot see, to have faith in the power of believing, to give that gift of faith to our daughter.....To believe in God, Guardian Angels, grandmas, faeries, and even Santa can be a wonderful thing.
Grandma, in her humble but timely manner, gave me a glimpse of what it was like to be a child again, and the magic of believing.
You always did know what to do, in your subtle ways, Grandma. I love you and I miss your presence in this world.
My son and my grandma 20 yrs ago(Daniel and his Nana)
