Health Wealth and Happy

I remember being at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve many, many years ago.
I was in the kitchen along with aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, Mom and Dad.
There were so many of us, we overflowed into Gramma's living room.

We all had a piece of oplatek.
Oplatek is a thin wafer, made of flour and water 
& the sharing of oplatek is a wonderful Polish tradition.

This treasured ritual calls for each of us to break off a piece of the wafer.
We then make our way around the room, offering our oplatek to other family members.
They break off a piece of my oplatek, I break off a piece of their oplatek
& as we do, we offer each other the wish of Health, Wealth and Happiness,
we BIG HUG
& we move on to our next person.

The beauty of oplatek (at least my family's version !) is the bumper car fun of it all.
Everyone is trying to reach everyone, so as not to forget anyone.

Health, Wealth, Happy
Bump.
Health, Wealth, Happy
Bump.

It's laughter, kisses, confusion and crazy joy
& on that Christmas Eve, with so many of us crammed together, it was AWESOME.

Unfortunately, we couldn't travel the 500 miles to Gramma's every Winter but, Mom and Dad made sure we carried on.
We have shared the oplatek wafer each year since that lovely night.
Christmas Eve is simply not Christmas Eve without the wish of Health, Wealth and Happiness.
It is truly the best part of the day.

So many of our family who were there on that long ago Eve are not physically with us today.
They celebrate their Christmas in a very, very special place now.
But each year, when that wafer makes it's rounds, I can feel the warmth of their endless love.
I KNOW they are sharing our oplatek delight

& so, with that warm and fuzzy feeling in mind, I would like to offer my simple Christmas Eve wish to YOU ...

May your heart overflow with bumper car glee
&
May you forever receive an abundance of Health,
Wealth
& especially Happiness in your life.

BIG. HUG.

:)

I Am My Feelings