Best Gifts Ever

I thought they might really appreciate their 'special gifts',  but I could not have predicted what a hit they would actually be.

During the fall months, I spent a great deal of time going through all the pictures I have,  in old photo albums,  in the cedar chest, wherever---and labeling the pictures with the year and location, and then I went about the task of assembling a "birth-to-adulthood" photo album with pictures specific to each daughter.   Each album had 100 pictures.   I thought their spouses and offspring might also enjoy the pictures of them as toddlers and teens.

I announced that I wanted to give them all this particular gift at the same time.   So I handed each one a beautiful box with the album inside.  Suddenly a silence fell as they began to look at the picture in their album.    I noticed immediately that the husbands were equally as interested.   After a while, they began to show each other pictures from their albums.  In each there were group pictures with siblings;  pictures of their parents, their room,  their friends and relatives, their teen sports and activities, things unique to each life.  There were many ooos and ahhs and even a few tears.

It was a wonderful  Christmas day filled with lots of good food, fun, sharing, laughter, gifts and family!

Michelle and Pedro

Winter Survival Test

I am not much of a winter person.  The sum total of my usual winter experience is the distance in the garage from my car to the back door,  or from my car to the grocery store entrance.

Because I live fairly close to the grocery store, I always figured that in a dire emergency,  I could always walk there.

Today is our first day of real winter, and it has come with a vengeance.  I decided, just for the experience, that I would test my ability to actually walk to the store.   I put on the best of my winter stuff,  though I am not very accustomed to dressing for frigid temps.   I wore leggings, and then the kind of athletic pants with zippers and elastic at the ankle, for ease of getting boots on and off.  I put on my down coat and headed out into the driveway.  The drifts were two feet deep in spots.  The first thing I noticed was how bright it was with all that snow.  I decided that I needed sunglasses, and probably a hat with a visor.  I went back in to get those.  Then I tried again, but realized that I would also need my best ear-muffs, and thickest gloves and a scarf.   So out I went. Half way across the driveway, I realized that I had to go to the bathroom, so back in I went.  It took three tries for me to get across the driveway,  but I was glad I had taken the time to prepare.   At first, I had images of me as a snow bunny.  But by the time I headed off,  I felt more like the Goodyear blimp.   Then I realized this was not a beauty contest, but a test of survival.

 The winds were whipping and roaring at thirty miles per hour and the snow was blowing.   Off I headed to the grocery store and to my winter adventure (it is less than a mile).  Truth be told, I was not comfortable driving, as I was sure I would probably not be able to make it back up the hill to my house.  Soon I discovered that those winds were whipping mightily in my face and I had to hold my scarf over my face to keep from getting wind burn.  That, of course, caused my glasses to steam over, and I could not see.  But on I trudged.

When I actually got to the grocery store and began to take off some of my winter garb, I realized that I certainly hoped I would not encounter anyone I knew!   I purchased my one item, and headed back out.   I did worry about the cars going up and down the road, whether or not one might slide and hit me into the guard rail.  My only out would be to jump it, if I were fast enough.   Going up the hill, I encountered a snow plow coming down.   Seeing me,  he took a turn off.  I'm glad, or I would have been buried there beside the road.

The last few yards to my house were actually the most treacherous, as they had just been plowed and were very slick.   I slipped a few times, but did not fall, thankfully.

This was absolutely a test of my own abilities against the dangers of winter.  I am happy to report that I lived to tell the story!

Remembering Some Ministry Moments

I just started reading a novel, and the opening scene was a clergyman's visit to a dying woman.   The scene of being called to the deathbed of someone not likely to live very long brought back a couple of memories.  Whenever I recall these moments,  I do heartily laugh at myself,  because those moments never seemed to turn out the way I expected.

Truth be told,  despite being called into those circumstances,  I have never actually been present at the moment of death.   Believe me, I take the matter of death very very seriously, and always treated such matters with the greatest respect.

But for some reason,  my near-to-death experiences were, well........unexpected might be a good word.

A nearby nursing home called me at the parsonage to say that my parishioner, who was elderly and had been sick for a long time, was clearly not going to make it through the night.   Of course, I wanted to be there.   I went to sit with the dying person. At that time, I was not really experienced in those matters.  Of course, I said the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm.    After holding his hand, and praying, and reading some scripture, I didn't really know what I was supposed to do, nor what to expect.

After some time passed,  I began to get a little bored with myself.  So I started singing.  I am told by my daughter in particular that I am not a good singer.  I know that I'm not great, but I don't really think I'm all that bad.   And I thought that singing someone into heaven might just be a good thing to do. The heavenly angels surely would not mind my lack of singing talent.     I don't remember if it was my first song, or if I had been singing for a while.  But I sat next to the bed and sang.  I watched for signs that the elderly man was no longer breathing.

Then suddenly,  he opened his eyes and started talking, wondering where he was.   I just about jumped out of my skin, so startled was I!  He woke up.  And on top of that, he completely recovered from his near-death-illness, whatever it had been.  In fact,  as I recall, he lived for a number of years after that.

The same thing happened to me one other time as well....same circumstances.  Next time, it was a woman over ninety.  She would not make it through the night.   I went and did everything I could think to do.   She also lived for about five or six more years.

After that,  I hoped that no one would call on me for last rites,  because clearly I was a dismal failure at that!

Nor would I ever again dare to sing to anyone near death's door!

The Movie Lincoln

I wanted to see the movie Lincoln.  The reviews were good, and I was curious.   It is an Oscar contender.

I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but I was surprised by the main focus of the movie, which was the political maneuvering necessary to pass the thirteenth amendment to the constitution, to end slavery.

Of course, human interest stories, and personal relationships were brilliantly woven into the main story line.  But the main story line was clearly about Lincoln's immense political struggle to pass that law.

Since it was about the struggle between two parties, on opposite sides of a political issue, it certainly felt very timely and relevant.  I seem to remember hearing that the release of the movie was postponed until after the election, and now I can see why that would be the case.

On the way home I began to wonder who took over after Lincoln's assassination.  Of course I did not remember.  The answer is Andrew Johnson, who finished Lincoln's second term, but was not re-elected.   When I looked it up in my book on the presidents,  I was surprised to learn that on the same night as the assassination, that the Secretary of State Seward was also the victim of an assassination attempt.   An assailant entered his home and attacked him with a knife.  Both his wife and daughter witnessed the attack, and both died within months, at least partly from the trauma of that event.  Seward himself recovered.  There were many historical details that came to light in the movie, of which I was unfamiliar.  

Growing up in the South I can observe that being the "defeated" has never really left the psyche of many southerners.   Even today the rebel flag is displayed proudly as a sign of a proud "way of life."

To my way of thinking it is a symbol of slavery and that is scarcely a way of life to defend.  

Biblical Characters

        An interest of mine has always been 'bringing the biblical story to life'.  Over the course of the years of my ministry,  I used drama in a variety of ways, finally settling on 'biblical monologue' because it was so much easier to recruit (and direct) one person, than to direct a whole cast (though I did that too).

       I realized earlier this year that I have acquired over the years, quite a collection of monologues of various characters from the biblical narrative.  It occurred to me that it might be a good idea to collect them all into one place.   I spent a month or so doing that, and putting together all the monologues into a spiral bound booklet.  I thought that maybe if I had a collection assembled  I might be in a better position to continue that ministry in a new way, since I am no longer the worship leader.

    I gave a copy of that booklet to the new pastor and asked him to look at them and see if he would be willing to include a monologue from time to time.  After reading them, he indicated that he thought I have a special gift in this area.    He suggested that we have the characters appear as 'special guests' for the children's message.  We are now into a pattern of doing one each month, as long as a particular person can be connected to the worship theme for that day.   So far, so good.

   Yesterday, the second Sunday of Advent, focused on John the Baptist.  I had asked a particular man from the congregation to do the monologue.  He is an especially talented actor who performs at the local Center for the Performing Arts, and also directs.   I thought that perhaps he might memorize the script, which he did.     He did just a superb job of portraying the character of John the Baptist.

   For me, it was a unique experience.  I got an inkling of how it might feel for a playwright to see her work performed on stage.

Clearly, the congregation enjoyed it as well, as they could scarcely contain their robust applause,  though applause is usually not expected during worship.

   And I am quite sure,  because of the quality of that portrayal,  that the children will always remember meeting John the Baptist and hearing his story in person, ( complete with tunic and sandals and staff).

Christmas Party

Last night I attended my first Christmas party of the season.  It was the holiday party of the Ladies Literary Club.

  The entertainment was a professional opera singer.   I would have to say that normally,  I would not classify myself as an opera fan.  Of course,  I have never seen one up close and personal,  since I'm not a fan of that genre of music.  However,  this was a very different experience.  I happened to be sitting about a dozen feet away from the singer.   I acquired a new appreciation for the sound,  because I was close enough to see the discipline,  the talent, the control, and the range of the singer.   It was obvious that she had extensive training and brought her sound from somewhere deep within.   I, who cannot sing, will readily admit that when I do sing,  I am probably only singing in the top 15% or so of my chest and lungs, and know not how to tap into the diaphragm.  I did very much admire her poise and control.

Her selections were classical Christmas songs.  We also had some group singing of Christmas carols.  One of the club member's husband is blind.  I did happen to hear his wonderful voice joyfully ringing out in song.  It was a lovely sight to see and hear.  Clearly he knew the words by heart, and loved to sing.

The dinner, the conversation, and the setting were all excellent.  The caterer has recently completely the renovations of a lovely old historical building known as Briggs Hall, complete with a spiral staircase.

It was a lovely evening which we both enjoyed.   Gerry even got to talk about agriculture and skiing with guests more knowledgeable (and probably more interested) than I.

Belated Thanksgiving Birthday

Getting ready to host a "make-up" Thanksgiving Dinner, as well as a grand-daughter's birthday celebration.

 The table is set for 13, our largest number to date.   If and when it increases, we'll have to move out of the dining room space into another space to add a table for more people.

Grand-daughter E turns six years old.  First we ate dinner;  then we opened presents (some for E and some for the other little ones too).  After that, we had a treasure hunt where everyone had to work together to interpret the clues and find the next clue, until they found the hidden treasure.  It was great fun.  They of course want another one next time.  ( Truthfully, it did take forever to create!!). Example:   To find the next clue, you have to be extra sharp!

After the gifts and the treasure hunt, there was dessert----several kinds, from birthday cake and ice cream, to cheese cake, to pumpkin pie.   I think we probably won't eat, or at least I won't have to cook for several days!

Here are some photos of making family  memories.

Next clue found:  inside the drawer of the pencil sharpener!