Josh and Allayna McCann: A very different Christmas...

This Christmas was a hard one for me. It was the first time in "Allayna history" that I wasn't home for the holidays. Usually we do Thanksgiving with Josh's family and Christmas with mine but considering we were in the middle of exams and moving from Ephraim to Ogden, Utah, there really wasn't much time for travel...we hardly had time to buy Christmas presents! What made it even harder was knowing that none of my other sisters who live in other parts of Utah weren't going to make it home either. It made my heart hurt even worse for my parents and my youngest sister who is the only one left at home; just the thought of Christmas for my parents and Candace seemed lonely.

I do love Josh's family so much though, so if I couldn't be at home then this is the place I'd want to be. Since we moved to Ogden, we've been living with Josh's grandparents who also take care of his great-grandmother, Grandma Clark. She is a hilarious woman, though I don't think she ever tried to be...she just was. Over Thanksgiving, we've noticed her health going down hill fairly quick. She's 92 so she's definitely had a long life. Since moving in with them about a week ago, she became for the most part immobile, very weak and uncomfortable. It was so hard to watch, we all love her! To add to a heavy heart from being away from home on Christmas, Grandma Clark passed away in her bed on Christmas morning.

The thought kept occurring to me throughout Christmas day that she went so long being without her husband, parents and siblings that she finally gets to have a "Christmas Morning" with them again but in heaven and she's healthy...how perfect that must be for her. I figured that one Christmas for me away from my home was okay because I know I'll see them again soon. Despite the loss, we had a great Christmas. We all hugged each other a little tighter that day, something I think we all needed, all for different reasons. Thank you Grandma Clark.

On a lighter note, I got some good gifts this year!