Celebrate Me Home

By Paul Roberts

I spent a bit of time last Friday in my Weekend Watering post talking about the difficulty we can run into at times dealing with the emotions of the holiday season. I’m reminded this morning that my daughter Zoe said to me some time ago (and I’ve mentioned this before) that it’s my blog, so I can write whatever I want. So, if you’d like, keep reading and follow me on my journey through the past few days as I begin my own personal start to this wonderful, emotional season.

The Thanksgiving meal at the Roberts home was festive, delicious, delightful, and accompanied by a slight sore throat by the end of the evening. I was busy enough that the tickle in my throat didn’t really register in my consciousness until the guests were gone and I had time to sit and take stock of how the day had been. And in spite of the wealth of blessings that day, some negative thoughts crept in as I “laid me down to sleep.” Cosette was in Moscow working through the holiday (sigh), Zoe would be leaving Friday morning (sigh), and what was this (cough) feeling in my throat (cough)?

Fortunately, there was a song in my head, planted there at some unknown time in the past, that had recently crept in also: Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins.Kenny Loggins | Celebrate Me Home Lyrics 

By the time Zoe was on the road late Friday morning, Molly and I were comparing symptoms: stuffy, runny nose, a bit of a cough and a tickle in the throat that had turned into a scratch. The way my body was feeling made me a little concerned about the one hour performance Carol and I had scheduled, along with some friends, to sing in the holidays on Saturday afternoon. Molly and I both did our best to rest all day Friday, and I listened to several renditions of Celebrate Me Home to keep me in a celebratory head space.

The Saturday afternoon performance went well, but by the time we got home I knew it was time to really rest. I headed for my office, put on my headphones, and laid me down to sleep once again with Kenny Loggins playing quietly. Unfortunately, Kenny’s magic wasn’t enough to stave off the slight fever and body aches that were now added to my list of symptoms. Happy Holidays? Not so far. 

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate me home…celebrate, celebrate, celebrate me home… 

Sunday morning arrived quickly, which was a good sign since that meant I had slept fairly soundly. I recalled only a few coughing spells in the middle of the night, the fever and body aches had abated, and Molly said she was feeling a bit better.  

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate me home…celebrate, celebrate, celebrate me home… 

Found out Sunday afternoon that Zoe arrived home with similar symptoms. 

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate me home…celebrate, celebrate, celebrate me home…

It’s Monday morning now. My mood has moved up and down over the last week like my temperature, but this morning I am confident that the gifts of this season far outweigh my shortcomings. The people in my life multiply that confidence, and the songs of the season roll on like a river happily running to the sea… Loggins & Messina - WATCHING THE RIVER RUN (Live) 

…which provides some of the peace of mind I need to stay positive throughout this holiday season… Loggins & Messina Sittin' In Again Live - Peace of Mind 

Happy Holidays.

*************************************************************************************************************

I’ve shared three songs in my blog that change my outlook and my mood in positive ways. Share a song with our community that helps bring you to a brighter place.

To leave a comment on our blog, you can use Disqus.  It is easy to sign up.  You can use Google, Facebook, Twitter or your email.  There is no cost.  Just put in your name and email address and create a password.  Then confirm your account with the email they send you.  Then you can use Disqus to comment on the blog.  We would love to hear your thoughts.