A Sappy Christmas Story that's Good for the Soul

I'm usually not this mushy.... Oh who am I kidding.  I may look tough in my Combat shorts and huge grappling gloves, which makes me look like Mickey Mouse ... not really a tough personification of a fighter come to think of it..., but get back to the first thought, I may (try) look tough, but give me a sappy songs or touching pictures or stories, and I would bawl.  In particular, when listening to Elvis' Blue Christmas and around Christmas time.  The first reminds me of my Dad, who passed away in 2008, and the second reminds me of how many Christmas I have spent without him and all those years I took it for granted. Now that he's gone, all I could do was reminisced the time I spent Christmas with him and my whole family, which I sadly now think it would be when I was in Junior High, or was it even earlier than that.

I remember a much older Christmas time when we still lived in the old grandma's house. It never snowed in Jakarta and there was no real Christmas tree there. So we made do with cotton balls, a lot of them, and decorated our plastic tree. I remembered staring at the blinking multi colored lights.  I was too little then to help my parents set up the tree.

After I came to US, there was no more Christmas where I would be together with my Dad. I was always in US, him in Jakarta.  We would only talked on the phone and told each other Merry Christmas.

Was I too young to care and too self centered? Perhaps. Nowadays when I hear Elvis' singing Blue Christmas, I heard him in my head singing the song instead, making his voice like Elvis. And it brought tears to my eyes. Not tears of joy, because I miss him and I regret the time I have lost.  I know I can only move on from here and cherish the family I still have. And spending the moments with them with pleasure and gladness. 

In his passing my Dad taught me this last lesson, to not take those who love me and those I love for granted.  I only live one life in which time keeps moving forward, use it to cherish family and loved ones. And most important, be happy.

Merry Christmas, Dad. Merry Christmas, Oma. Merry Christmas, everyone <3 Peace <3