This past weekend was chock full of hockey games ~ all in different cities. So Stan and I did what any normal hockey family would do. We divided and conquered. I was in Reston, Virginia on Saturday with my trusty hockey partner in crime, Lisa, for Zach’s game and then back to Richmond that night to get ready for Sunday’s home game. Stan was in Rockville and Gaithersburg, Maryland on Saturday traveling to Columbia on Sunday. So, our weekend was spent apart ~ he with the dads of hockey and me with the mamas and then home.

It was when we got home on Saturday I realized what time of year it is and what was calling my name….it is this time every year that I break out my old, trusty DVD of the movie “Love Actually.” It is my all time favorite Christmas movie. I love watching Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fall in love over and over. I love watching Alan Rickman (who plays Professor Snape in Harry Potter) struggle with his near foray into the world of infidelity. I love watching Emma Thompson come to grips with the thought that her on screen husband might be having an affair. I love watching Liam Neeson work through his feelings of grief and dispair over losing his wife and his stepson’s mom. I could go on and on about the scenes that steal my heart every Christmas but I think I’ll stop. Stan will tolerate watching it with me. To him, it’s OK. To me, it’s all about Love, actually…

This is the first time in the seven or eight years that I’ve watched the movie that I’ve really noticed the song at the beginning and end. The Beach Boys start the movie with “God Only Knows.” This time, the song hit it’s mark. I started thinking about where I’d be without the loves of my life. God only knows where I’d be without them.

Stan ~ the one who pushes me so hard to be the best I can be by believing in me and my abilities. He never harps on my inabilities. He focuses on what I can do and what I do well. God only knows where I’d be without him.

The kids ~ they are the ones who lift me up when I’m feeling my worst. The little hugs and kisses and “I love yous” just when I need these things the most. The unconditional love they give is incredible. God only knows where I’d be without them.

My parents ~ the ones who gave me not only a last name but a family to call my own. They raised me as their own, always believing I was their daughter and never just an adoptee. Truly, God only knows where I’d be without them.

My friends ~ all of the ones who encourage, support and love without bounds. They give of themselves when I need them and even when I think I don’t. I couldn’t be more thankful for them and wonder where I’d be without them.

As we head into this season of giving and generosity, I want to remember what really makes me who I am. It’s love, actually and God only knows where I’d be without it.

Oh, for the love of my children….