Day Eight

In December 1987 when I was 17 my mom had just returned to Tucson after completing the Great Peach March where she walked across the whole country with a huge group of other individuals in support of global nuclear disarmament. She was supposed to pick Jenni and me up at the airport when we flew in from New Mexico, but she hadn’t even left California by the time we got on the plane. Sara picked Jenni and me up at the airport and we hung out at the 707 house until Mom arrived.

Mom had made arrangements to stay in the apartment at Saguaro Alliance at Stone and Drachmann through the holidays until she could get a more permanent residence and get all her stuff from storage. It was an interesting Christmas. Jenni and I were so happy to see Mom again, and she was happy to be back in Tucson, and everyone was eager to see her. In a concession to Jenni and me, we did get a tree and Mom drove us up to the Brodesky’s house out by Pima College for a pancake breakfast on Christmas Eve and to retrieve our boxes of Christmas ornaments. We decorated the tree in the apartment.

Christmas eve we went to the early service at First Christian Church, and then after the service was over we went to little Caesars pizza and got 2 pizza’s to go (this was back in the pan/pan, pizza/pizza days) We took the pizzas to Stone park and ate them outside at a picnic table in the dark before going back to church for the late service. I cannot lie and say it was the best Christmas Eve meal ever, but I can say without reservation that it was one of the most memorable Christmas Eve dinners I have ever had.