If the stockings were all –
Ma and Pa
The parents, then grandparents, and now great-grandparents
Of great-grandchildren they never knew
Names my husband, the first son-in-law, called my parents
After four daughters, Daddy’s wait for a son over
Al and VA
The parents and now grandparents
Only a few days ago, it seems,
A young couple starting out
Murray and Steph with Lauren, Brittany, and Jack
The oldest son and his family
Desert dwellers in Arizona
Two flown from the nest
And one with a driver’s license
Anna and Mark II with Marissa and Jeremy
The daughter and her family
A forever family by adoption
On the cusp of an empty nest
Texans with an eye on Oregon
Mark I and Kelly with Hayden, Hannah, Sam, Ben, and Owen
The youngest son and his family
Home now in Hattiesburg where
College kids return
And little boys play
If this were all
My tree and my heart would be full.
Yet I add memories in ornaments
Places we’ve lived, especially Germany
Trips we’ve taken, including the fifty states
School children I taught
One career set in school and writing
Another in the military and post office
Extended family and friends
More than enough in Christmas treasures –
My tree, like my heart, overflows.