Some Days She Does

Every year for lotsa years, I’ve written our family Christmas letter as lyrics to a song.

I offer this to you one condition: that you don’t just read it…you gotta sing. You already know the tune, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, so no excuses.

Clear your throat.

Go on, give a good harumph and clear your throat.

And now that you have the attention of the people around you, invite them to join in!

Here we go —

The Scheets Family’s 2016 Christmas Song

to be sung to the tune of It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Yes, it’s that time of year again, to write our Christmas song

And tell you all about the year, what’s good, what’s made us strong

And so without further a-do, please sing these words out loud

And banish with your cheerful voice, those gloomy kinds of clouds.

2. Still Patty loves her job, it fits, her perfectly, you see,

And is the national President, of Neuro Section, PT.

She’s making plans of things to do, and places they can go

On weekends starting in mid-year, just she and husband Joe.

3. ‘Cause Joe announced way back in June, that after forty years

Under full-time appointment served, he’d like to shift his gears.

“Retirement is the way to go,” he said, “come next July.

I’d really like to catch my breath, at least I’d like to try.”

4. Joseph has now turned thirty-one, he’s doing very well

Lives in a home with Staff, and wow, he does so much himself!

Can teach you how to navigate, the Cincinnati bus —

Their schedule that’s confusing still, to all the rest of us.

5. And Ruth is now one-oh-four, some days she does real well,

And always seems to have some fun, as far as we can tell.

Martin, our dog, the Labradoodle, a puppy though he’s five,

Still thinks he’s one of the biggest dogs, ever to be alive.

— Dementia/Alzheimer’s is awful. I’ll stop right that sentence there; you understand…somewhere in there she’s still my mom, but only surfaces on rare occasions.

Know that you’re in my prayers for a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.