Oh, I was also wondering if anyone had any good suggestions re: some beautiful opera music you could share with me.

I think this is a great idea. Who wants to have a heavy session right before what is supposed to be the most festive time of the year? I think that keeping a session lighthearted would definitely be a good thing. I know T and I did this when I was going on a vacation a while back. I was going away with my girlfriends for the weekend, and we kept that session light and breezy. We laughed, enjoyed each other and didn't get into heavy stuff. I don't think that's too much to ask for at all. I think it's cute that you'd want to do a Christmas party and I am sure your T would get why.


--Brokes

anything Puccini, Liese. anything Puccini. Esp: Madame Butterfly.

Thanks BB. Always looking for some good music.

You're not wrong about Puccini BB - love him!!

Liese - good idea!!! My session last week was a hoot - we're both almost anticipating complaints from the other psychologists!!! Another good opera that I love is The Pearl Fishers by Bizet!!!

Oh, thanks Morgs. I'll check it out. Did you write about your session somewhere around here? I'd love to read about it.

Liese

Hi Liese... the only vaguely similar kind of thing I did was with oldT on my birthday in 2009. I brought in donuts for us and a book I was reading. The book was fiction but it was a story of a young girl that resonated with me and so I marked passages of it to read to my oldT and then we discussed it in relation to me and how I grew up and he told me how he saw me in relation to the story. It was a very memorable and lovely session and it ended with him giving me the first hug ever. I'll never forget that day... despite all the horror and pain, that day was pure magic.

I can understand not wanting to engage in a heavy session just before the holidays. Why take the chance of ending in a bad place? So it would be nice to do something different and light... music, a game, reading poetry you like or even sharing funny jokes or funny family stories if you have any... maybe ones when your kids were small? All of this enables your T to know you better and get closer to you while doing it in a fun, light way. And hopefully you will leave for the holidays feeling happy and full of his care until the next session.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

Hugs
TN

Hey TN,

So far I downloaded some of my favoriate Christmas songs (4 different versions of Ave Maria. I never get tired of that one) and 1 opera song. Will listen to Puccini and The Pearls Fisher today and add. I am bringing my IHome in with me.

I ordered a puzzle and it should come by tomorrow. I would like to do something other than the puzzle, something more interactive but can't think of anything. I'm just barely pulling myself together and I can't think of any funny stories but that's a great idea and maybe I will push myself to think of some.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I do have lots of funny stories about the kids. I'll let you know how it turns out.

xcxo

Love,

Liese

Echo,

Thanks for the great ideas! I'm heading to the craft store as we speak .... well, not really but ... soon!

xoxo

Liese

I really like the idea of doing crafts together, not that I'm particularly crafty but I do have some stuff that I buy for my son's projects from the craft store. I think I will save this idea for next Christmas when I will know my T even better. I think it would be a great way to connect with inner kid. Not only that but we can make cards for each other and then I will have something from him to treasure as well. And every Christmas going forward I will have that card to look at and remember the fun (hopefully) that we had creating our Christmas cards! Thanks Echoes for the idea.

Liese I hope it goes well for you and you find it healing. I hope you are feeling better today.

Hugs
TN

Oooh! Crafts! Making a card with T would be nice. I am wondering if I should take this idea for my final session. We could make one another a goodbye card.

Echo,

That is absolutely beautiful in a fruity kind of way. The craft store was totally wiped out of Christmas crafts so I might be heading to the supermarket this morning. How did the orange keep over the years? Or do you eat them after the holidays?

xoxo

Liese

Well, I wasn't sure T is a crafty kind of guy so I decided in the end to stick with the puzzle. It arrived just 45 minutes before my session and is the most beautiful puzzle I have ever seen in my life. Thank you INCOGNITO! Honestly, I was overwhelmed by the craftsmanship and the artwork.

So, I packed up the puzzle and the ihome. Oh, and I wrote some stuff for T, kind of leftover stuff from Monday's session that I didn't want to say. And I kind of fashioned it like a Christmas card, even though it wasn't really supposed to be a Christmas card.

I was so nervous. I've never done anything like this before and I had NO idea how he was going to react. My mouth went completely dry as I walked up the stairs to his office. I got myself some water from the water cooler but I was so shaky that I dropped the cup of water on the floor.

When we got inside, I just said, let's have a Christmas party. And he just simply said, Okay. I took out the ihome and he plugged it in. Then I gave him the card, which I had to put in a ziplock because of all the glitter. He loved what I wrote and said it was beautiful.

And then drumroll, I brought out the puzzle. He had never seen anything like it either and we both marveled over how beautiful it was.

At the very beginning of the session, he offered to set up a mini phone session on Monday since I'm missing my session. I turned him down and said that I would be okay. He looked like he half-expected it and he didn't protest too much. I told him he deserved a break. And he said, no, that's not it. And then he encouraged me to call him if I need him.

So, we started to set up the puzzle and listened to the music. At first it was a bit awkward. Well, no, it was really awkward. At some point, I told him that I had a hard time since Monday and that I didn't want to talk about anything today. So, we just did a little chatting.

I don't know, maybe half-way through, I got very relaxed and comfortable and very into the puzzle. It was really great. We had fun. At the end of the session, I asked T if I could leave the puzzle there and he said yes. He said he enjoyed working on it with me.

Then he thanked me for the really nice session and gave me a Christmas hug. And I took this one in and really enjoyed the moment.

The whole thing felt really good. Like, I can let go of it all for a week. And I'm sure T was relieved because I'm pretty sure he knew how twisted I was when I left on Monday. And, so now he can enjoy his Christmas without worrying and I can really let it all go and focus on the kids.

Hope everyone out there is doing okay. Wishing everyone peace. And thanks everyone for all the great ideas and suggestions.

xoxo

Love,

Liese

Liese... I loved reading about how your session went with T. I am glad he was so flexible about listening to music and doing the puzzle. I'm glad you eventually were able to relax into the puzzle and in talking with T. How great that he offered the phone session and that you were able to say no that you would be okay. I really believe you will be too! That hug must have felt wonderful to take in. What a great ending to the session. You give me the courage to maybe bring in a game in the new year because T said I could but I'm still nervous about it.

So... did he comment on the music or ask any questions about it? Is he any good at puzzles? I am not good at them but my son is a wiz.

I can totally relate to that feeling when you have to climb those stairs and you look up and it seems impossible to reach the top. When I first started seeing this T it felt like I had to climb a mountain each time I went there.

I am so happy for you that things went so well in your pre-Christmas session.

Hugs
TN

(((Liese)))

Thanks for sharing about your Christmas party session. It sounds lovely. A puzzle might be a nice thing to do with a T. You guys are all so clever. I'm glad your T offered you a hug and also told you to call if you need him. He has changed so much, it seems, in just the time I've known you on this forum.

Liese,

It was festive and heartwarming just reading about your Christmas party. Happy Holidays!

quote:

And, so now he can enjoy his Christmas without worrying and I can really let it all go and focus on the kids.

Liese,

I'm so glad half way through you were able to relax and it ended well. Thanks for sharing. I wish I had done something like this for my session yesterday. Happy Holidays to you!

Wow, Liese. That was a great idea to have a Christmas party with your T, and I'm really happy for you that it turned out so well!! Thanks for telling us about it. I hope you have a Merry Christmas!!

Peace,
SG

(((TN)))((((YAKU))))((((HIC))))((((NINNN))))((((SG)))))((((

Thanks for all the good wishes. Hope everyone is doing okay out there. And, SG, I love the Christmas tree. It's so pretty.

xoxo

Love,

Liese