Maggie's Day 318 of Discovering Love in Six Geese a Laying on the Sixth Day of Christmas

Technically, it’s my birthday. Midnight has struck. It is now the last day of the year. The day that I love to just be. This year it looks as though I have been fortunate enough to celebrate this day from both ends. What a gift.

Celebrating your birthday on the last day of the year truly is a gift. It’s the culmination of everything all at one time. No one with a birthday on any other day of the year knows what that is like. It is powerful, motivational, exciting, inviting and probably a slew of other things as well that I can’t even put into words right now.

I spent this entire day running errands so that I could start off the New Year with nothing hanging over my head, nothing needing to be tended to, all my bills paid and my house clean and laundry done. I am ready for a great big beautiful New Year that will be stress-free, peaceful, loving and exciting.

Everything came in it’s own time today but it indeed did come. Item after item on my list was checked off. Then I ended the day with a fun-filled, laughter-filled, thought-provoking dinner engagement with a friend. Life is good. I feel free. Success at last.

Maggie's Day 317 of Discovering love in Five Golden Rings on the Fifth Day of Christmas

At seven o’clock I was up and ready to go. At that hour I thought I was going to be heading to Milwaukee this afternoon to visit with my friend Michelle.

Plans kind of fizzled out so here I am basking in the warmth, beauty and love of my own home. There truly is no place like home.

Since I wasn’t going to be in a car driving six and a half hours today I decided to devote that time to my nephew George and his painting that is actually an assignment for his English class. I’m not quite sure what’s going on.

One thing I do know is that today I taught my fabulous nephew how to paint an ocean, an island, a sky, a horizon line and a tree. George has a rock solid foundation for a great future in art. He’s a very gifted young man. I think he’s going to make it.

So, while George was painting I fixed a couple of alcohol-free cranberry and lime margaritas. Then, instead of five golden rings I surrounded his glass with five sprinkle-covered chocolate rings. I do indeed love these recession-minded Twelve Days of Christmas.

Maggie's Day 316 of Discovering Love in Four Calling Birds on the Fourth Day of Christmas

Christmas is magical for me. It has been that way as far back as I can remember. As far back as the time I watched Santa through my bedroom window as he ran through the lawn and across Northeast Nineteenth Lane. I was four. Santa was big and real. He still is.

When I started this day bright and early I had no idea what Four Calling Birds looked like nor how to go about capturing them. I didn’t even know if they were found in these here parts. All I knew was that I was going to do my best and improvise when necessary.

Necessary came a whole sooner than I expected.

When I was younger my mother would refer to some one as “a bird”. I never really knew what she meant by that. Looking back I think it was a flighty individual she was referring to.

So, I took a deep inward search of the “birds” I knew and who I could call. Low and behold by six o’clock in the evening I had my Four Calling Birds and my beautiful Christmas smile brought about by the magic that only Christmas can bring.

Maggie's Day 315 of Discovering Love in Search of Three French Hens on the Third Day of Christmas

I’m a sucker for Christmas, all twelve days of it. I slept and lounged and napped today and paid no never mind to the world and the obligations I had in it.

Today it was just me and the pretty princess chair and my friend Mark Fiorito’s novel, Kiss of the Marlin.

I ate breakfast and lunch in the pretty princess chair and read in between naps. It made for the most fabulous third day of Christmas.

However, I must admit that I was on a quest to discover three French hens today. Realizing we’re in a recession whether our government calls it as such or not I knew that finding three French hens today was going to be a task and a half times ten.

Maggie's Day 314 of Discovering Love in Seeking out Two Turtle Doves on the Second Day of Christmas

Last nights antihistamine played havoc on me today. I knew that would happen.

The day didn’t begin for me until a quarter past noon. By two o’clock I was fast asleep after having taken a nap. I didn’t wake up until a quarter past seven.

Over the last five hours I have napped and read. I’m exhausted. After sharing my discovery of love with you I am heading up to bed. Hopefully tomorrow I will be back to normal.

During my first interlude of awakeness I wondered how I could encounter two turtledoves today. I knew I wasn’t going to stray far from the house. My eyes simply could not stay open that long.

On the return of my first trip to the garbage container outside I noticed a nest in my Cherry-Dogwood tree. Nearby sat its inhabitants, two Cardinal birds.

I thought about the nest and wondered how I could incorporate it in my search. After the second run to take out the garbage my answer was solidified.

Maggie's Day 313 of Discovering Love on the First Day of Christmas

There were no partridges for me today, not a pear tree either. But over at my friend Curt’s home there was a really bad allergic attack due to his fresh cut Christmas tree. As a result I had to take an antihistamine.

Now I am fighting to keep my eyelids open. Regretfully, I am losing.

I will share with you, though, that it was the love that was swirling around Curt’s home this evening that reminded me of how abundant my life truly is.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t share it with Curt and his fabulous family in his warm decorated-to-the-nines holiday home. So much for the partridge and the pear tree. I’m going to bed.

Maggie's Day 312 of Discovering Love Tree Side at Occupy Louisville

My nieces and nephews are growing up. I am freely letting them go so that they can be as independent as I am. However, I want to always be at their side guiding them, encouraging them, supporting them and loving them.

So, this evening I gave each of my nieces and nephews a piece of my heart so that they may carry it with them wherever they may go. Now I know that none of us will ever be alone. That is a very comforting feeling for me.

After all the incredible presents were unwrapped this evening and love was shared by all I pulled on my heavy sweater and headed down to the corner of Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Fifth Street. On the northwest corner sits a number of tents and a slew of ninety-nine percenters.

After parking my car in the only space available at the curb I quietly closed the door. I had already locked it.