Today is “get it done” day.

Christmas shopping, wrapping and cleaning, with some baking thrown in for good measure.

I spent most of my day yesterday sitting on a hard bleacher cheering on the Riverhead NJROTC unit. These kids always make me so proud.

If you’ve never been to a meet, you should go. It’s incredibly impressive. You watch boys and girls working together with precision to complete routines, with one cadet calling out orders. Once those are finished, they end with the exciting competitions.

One is the Push Up challenge. They play a recording of a drill sergeant saying “down.. up.. down.. up” in a steady cadence. Each platoon has four boys and four girls competing in the middle of the gym with judges who are actual soldiers walking around and watching. Riverhead blew them all away. Maddie and another girl were the last two going, and Maddie ended up with 52 pushups… and not from the knees like most girls do. Straight up pushups.

Then it was time for the knockout competition. Everyone gets onto the floor and a soldier barks out commands, while other soldiers look to see if you follow correctly. It is like Simon says. Maddie wasn’t going to do it but I told her to get on that floor and win.

She reluctantly joined and we watched and real soldiers picked off cadet by cadet, and calling out commands faster and trickier.

Guess what?

Out of a couple hundred kids, she was last cadet standing. Her face was priceless, and she hugged me in front of other kids when I saw her. That’s a big deal for her and for any teen to hug their mom in public.

I’ll take it.

I also ran to the giving room quickly to get some good juices to build up my body after chemo. I was introduced to a doctor who is helping to bring a new center to the north fork where breast cancer patients can learn about acupuncture, meditation, and nutrition. The doctor wants me to be a consultant. We exchanged information and I’m excited to help in any way I can.

We decided to go see Star Wars last night and it was amazing. I’m not going to spoil it, but every one of us loved it.

Today we are going to get it all done.

Somehow.

I still don’t have that Christmas spirit, but it will come. I was so focused on getting everything done at school this year and the cancer, I let my own Christmas take a backseat.

I’m hoping it hits me soon.

It usually would hit me when I went to Christmas Eve service at church. We are going to a new church this Christmas Eve and I’m sure it will come to me then.

It’s all about a baby, plain and simple.

When love came down to save us all.

May we all be filled with that love today and every day, and our words and actions reflect that.

We’ve become a mob mentality society and have no problem getting whipped into a frenzy and writing mean things while getting others to join in.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all could find a way to get others to join in with a love mentality, and instead of judgement, send peace and love and light.

Try that today.

Don’t judge other people’s shoes or even try to walk in them. Just step aside and say,

“Peace be with you”.

“And also with you”.

Then live your own life.

What a world that would be.

Here’s to peace, love and light.

In Jesus’s name, amen.

Xoxo

Keri

(May peace AND the

Force be with you…)