I'm going by his house today with my dogs and a housewarming gift. I'm going to wrap it up all nice and fancy. He'll be so excited to show off his new house.

My mom loves her job. She's had some occasions where her clients have gotten violent, but for the most part, it is very rewarding. They are such a joy. Most of my mom's clients do not have family. My mom and her co-workers are their family.

I was also touched on Christmas eve, I made a surprise visit to Marissa's house. It was the first time I was meeting her. Marissa (25 years old) was so excited. She knew every detail about me. My middle name, my birthday, Jaden's name, Jaden's birthday, where I worked, etc... She ran into her room brought out Jaden and I necklaces that she'd been saving for us when she finally got to meet us. She told me "You are beautiful just like I always imagined." It brought tears to my eyes.

She then got on her hands and knees and started counting her Christmas presents. My mom says she counts them several times a day. Then, she ran off to the mailbox to see if any presents came there.

My mom later told me that she'd witnessed her mother put her little brother in the dryer when she was 5. She became mentally ill from the trauma, her mother is in prison for life, she has no father, and her brother died from that incident. All of her presents were from the staff. She has no family.

I'm tearing up just sharing this. It just really got to me how happy and loving Marissa was with all she had been through.