Christmas 2011

We attended the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at church and focused on the birth of our Savior, God in human form, baby form, humble form.  How fascinating, that God chose to experience our humanity, in the flesh.  

The Nativity set there is really special.   Predictably, so also was the music of the evening.  The brass accompaniment to all the hymns created a celebratory note for the singing.  I think my favorite song by the choir was "Mary,  Did you Know".  The first time I ever heard that song I was inside
a high security prison with the choir from the church I served at that time.  I remember the faces.  The male inmates were deeply
touched by that song.

Gerry and I, and our Long Island children opened one another's gifts at home, and then had a big Christmas  breakfast.  This year, oldest daughter Brenda hosted our family meal at her house, so cooking duties were much lighter for me than usual.

She was cooking for twelve, but had enough food for twice that many!  Everyone was so full.  It would have been fine, except for the many tempting and
tasty appetizers, before the meal..

We enjoyed one another's company, many fun gifts,  lots of food and laughter, and lively little girls!
Here, Sadie is eating some of the banana nut bread I included in everyone's Christmas baskets.  She is an adorable little imp.

 As the day progressed, everyone began to fade, with full bellies and a warm room.

Also, as the day progressed, it became painfully obvious that the various pains I had been experiencing for the past few weeks was clearly sinus pressure and extreme discomfort.  The sinus areas in my face began to ache and hurt miserably.  Then one eyelid started to swell and puff up and itch.   

I did go to a doctor today and get the much needed prescriptions, and hopefully tomorrow I will feel like a new person.  I cannot wait for that!  Despite my aches and pains, it was a very very good Christmas enjoyed by everyone in the family!  Thank God for a loving family!

Our cup runneth over!

Christmas Baskets

For each one of my four children's households,  I have created Christmas Baskets.   In each one, there is something that I made with the sewing machine.  Those items all tend to be of the domestic type.  I enjoyed many creative hours making something for everyone.

Each basket is personalized with some unique gifts for each person, or persons.  Hopefully, none of my children will read this blog before tomorrow, Christmas Day.  That seems unlikely, but just in case,  I will not give real specifics.  Except this:   In my oldest daughter's basket, there are two small pillows that I made with fabric she gave me.  Those are for the two little grand-daughters.

Each basket also contains some things that I baked or cooked.  So these are pretty much "homemade" baskets.  I do hope each family enjoys their baskets as much as I enjoyed putting them together.

Merry Christmas to all, and Peace on Earth!

Cantata Sunday

My real, true Christmas experience was delivered to me this morning in the form of a Christmas Cantata.  And as usual, it was spectacular. Together for Christmas left no talent unturned. There were narrators, a full component of choir members, and instrumentalists. (Synthesized strings, Synthesizer, Flute, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Violin, Percussion, Tambourine, Chimes.) Also, various soloists.

 Of course, I cannot forget the director, and the pianist.  Together they do such high quality work.  I am sorry that I forgot to take a picture of the pianist.  I was close enough to do that.  Next time, I will.

I was reflecting on why it is, perhaps, that I receive Christmas from musical form rather than a sermon.  I suspect that is because there are probably not very many Christmas-themed sermons that I have not heard or preached myself. (Plus, truthfully, my mind is likely to wander off on what I might have said, or how I might have said it.)  But I cannot do music, so music is always fresh and new.

These musicians are top notch, disciplined, practiced, talented, and committed, and best of all, joyful!   And so it is that for me, Christ came down at Christmas, through them.

Edgy

Bridesmaids

"Edgy" is a word I often hear.  It seems to apply to movies,  television shows, fashion, haircuts, and anything style related.  Often, 'edgy' seems to be the goal.  We are in a time of   'edginess'.  

 But honestly,  I don't get it.   As I ponder the question, I have to ask myself what is the opposite?  Is it by chance 'wholesome'?  Or perhaps 'homespun'.  Or maybe ordinary?  What exactly is it over/against?  Definitely, sentimentality.  It is certainly as far as one can get from the Father Knows Best and Brady Bunch shows of the 1950's.  Maybe being 'edgy' is a rebellious reaction to being 'straight'....as in walking the straight and narrow.   Edginess certainly desires to push the boundaries of: modesty,  courtesy,  civility.   It almost always involves being sexually explicit.  Innuendo is from a bygone era!

You could not pay me to watch it, but I see in the TV guide that Fear Factor is back on television, and this time, it is much more gross.  Recently I watched a Netflix movie that I thought I would enjoy.  I like to see a good chick flick from time to time.  This one was supposed to be a laugh out loud comedy.  I was quite disappointed.  I am certainly not a prude, especially not when it comes to movies.  But that one was just gratuitously gross!  It almost seemed like the movie maker was trying to out-gross gross guy movies.

As an observer of culture,  it seems to me that edgy might be a good word to describe the first decade of the twenty first century.  Unfortunately.

New Tradition

Finally!   At long last we have arrived at that new Christmas tradition for which I have waited so patiently.    I haven't gone with Gerry the past couple of years to pick up, pick out the Christmas tree (primarily because I wanted an artificial one).   This year he said it was too much for him to do alone.  We no longer have the pickup truck, and transporting a tree is no easy trick.

We just finished putting up and decorating our "new tree", which hopefully will be with us for many years to come.  You just bring it up from the basement.   I love the fact that I will not be fighting with pine needles on my white carpet for the next six months.  I will not need to water the tree every day or so.  I will be kinder to the environment by not killing a living tree.

Going out and cutting down a live tree is something that families (parents and children) do together.   Our children have long ago left the nest.  The youngest now has a house of her own to decorate, and I'm sure she will have the real tree of her dreams.  Another daughter lives in the woods and can just cut any tree they want from their own property.  In fact, there is already an inside tree, and also one on the front porch beautifully decorated.

I am so glad to simplify!  And it is symmetrical and beautiful!    

Shower

We are fortunate to have such an extended family, which keeps us on the go.  Yesterday, there was a baby shower to attend.  It was good to see grandchildren and an assortment of daughters, daughter in-laws, and other relatives. The mother-to-be got lots of beautiful gifts.  I was amazed at how pleased she genuinely seemed to receive the baby quilt that I made.

We had good conversations and a good time.  Gerry's daughter, who is a person on a very spiritual journey, always engages me in conversation of that ilk.  As I reflect on that conversation, I realized that I learned a lot about myself.  "Insight" is a big part of the spiritual journey. The more one learns about their inner stuff, the clearer the pathway to the divine.

Basically, I learned what it is I need to be working on, spiritually.   Essentially, that is to cultivate new pathways for my own relationship with God.  For a very long time, my direct connection, where I felt a dynamic partnership with God, centered around studying, preparing and delivering God's Word to the people of God.  Now that that is no longer my primary activity,  I have not found as powerful a way to that connection.  Maybe I am a bit adrift in that area, and have work that yet needs to be done.

It is through our relationships with others that we learn about ourselves and our relationship with God.  In fact, that brings to mind how I felt so long ago, when Gerry and I first got together.  I felt so blessed and empowered by his love, that it gave me a whole new understanding of what God is like.

Life goes on.  We are hurt.  We are healed.  And the whole cycle repeats itself.