Slept soundly last night, my first prolonged night of uninterrupted sleep in weeks.

Some pain from the back and legs but nothing intolerable.   Woke up, took Valium — my current muscle relaxer — and laid back down while the drug eased the tightness in my muscles.  I’m currently weaning myself off he drugs that have been part of my life over the past few weeks and I’m finding that the slammer doses work.

Then the most miraculous moment:  Turned over and stretched my legs without mind-numbing pain — in fact, no pain at all.  Now able to sit up and write for a while before taking one of the many breaks that are part of the daily schedule.

Later today, I will pick up some last minute gifts. Amy gets off work at 3 p.m. and we will head over to Mom’s assisted living apartment to spend some Christmas Eve time with her before heading home or the night.  We will head back to Mom’s for Christmas Day.

It’s a beautiful morning — in more ways than one.