Going on Seventy-Two

 Seventy-one.

 A portrait.   

(I turned 71 on Christmas Day.)

A long-time birthday tradition for me has been listing

blessings of the past year to match the number of that birthday.

Since my years are adding up,

I chose to begin on Christmas Eve

and complete the list on Christmas Day.

You might notice the 25A SPONTANEITY note

on the bottom of this photo.

I have been selecting and concentrating

on a word for each day of Advent.

I'm actually going to continue for three more days

since Advent can vary from 22 to 28 days--

but that's another story.

Christmas is not a Mood

Me, texting a friend:  "Good morning, Gail!  Happy Christmas Eve Eve!
Friend, responding:    "Good morning, Rebecca!  Sounds like you're in the MOOD!"
Me, texting back:       "Not one bit!  Thankful that 'Christmas' is not a mood!"

(To be continued...)

A Poor Advent Poem

‘Twas the morning of Advent

And all through the church

Most folks were abuzz

With a few on a search.

The trees, they were lit up;

The words were just right.

But something was missing—

The mood was too light.

What connection have hula-hoops

With a season so sacred?

The searchers were puzzled,

And some were deflated.

While searching for peace

And a wee bit of quiet,

It was noise they were met with,

And they did not buy it!

They left a bit tearful

Feeling strange and alone.

Though met with festivity,

They weren’t in the zone.

So back to their homes

They thoughtfully drove.

And in the hours that followed,

One wrote this poor poem.
Just what it has come to
The poet did wonder
And planned to spend time
To prayerfully ponder.

"Let every heart prepare Him room."

Now It Begins

...and after Thanksgiving,

more to come.

Simple, though.

First Wave

After a quiet Christmas Day,

our days began to fill up

with the arrival of the "first wave".

Our house occupancy 

more than tripled

and though the visit was short,

Not a Season...a Savior

We (well mostly my husband)

finished this puzzle this afternoon.

Admiring its beauty,

a phrase keeps crossing

my mind--

A Savior.  Not a Season.

So insistent is this phrase,

I'm working on a poem

featuring this line.

Seasons come and go.

Not the Savior!

Pre-Thanksgiving Christmas Outing

A Christmas Like No Other

With nothing big on our Christmas Day agenda, family gatherings having taken place a few weeks ago, this turned out to be a Christmas like no other. Simple decorations have been enjoyed for several weeks now.  Evenings have concluded with the three of us listening to Dr. John Piper read Advent meditations. I led the carol sing at our Wednesday night gathering at church well aware I was under the influence of a cold.  (Or is it flu?)  Still under the influence, I got up the next morning and drove to Chicago to pick up my dad and brother who had taken the train for a short, special trip to Kansas.

And under the influence, I remain--wiped out and spending hours a day in my comfy recliner where I've slept and slept and slept.

With no planned events or responsibilities, my husband, a Visitation Pastor, has been free to minister to several folks from our church during unusual illnesses and family deaths.  (In the past  week, there have been four deaths.)

It was hard to sit in my comfy recliner yesterday evening when Gary left for the hospital after receiving news that a friend had fallen and spent an unknown time (perhaps as much as two days) on the floor of her condo where she lived alone.  Hers may be a difficult recovery.

Funerals are pending.  I'm hopeful of recovering enough to visit my friend in the hospital very soon.  Today is the first day I've felt chipper enough to pick up a book (Alexander McCall Smith's The Italian Bulldozer) and read.  I've smiled at his descriptions and marveled at his grasp of human nature.

Today, these words a friend shared on her Facebook page capture several thoughts running randomly through my mind.  (The past year has found her relocating from Florida to Indiana and caring for her husband whose Alzheimer's has advanced significantly.)

Grateful to our neighbor, shovel in hand, (who) came over saying, "It is better with two shovels!" He was so right! It is better with two shovels! It made the job a lot lighter! What a wonderful gift we received! What a wonderful feeling, having the assistance from one with such a joyful spirit!

 I agree!  It IS better with two shovels!  And OH to be one who assists with a joyful spirit! 

Merry Christmas

from this one who is experiencing A Christmas Like No Other.

Calm before the Storm

Today the calm...

Seated at one of the two tables in front of Cracker Barrel's fireplace.

The manager even threw on fresh logs just for us (or so I told myself)!

Tonight, carol sing at our regular Wednesday evening prayer service.

And tomorrow, the storm.

I head into downtown Chicago to pick up my father and brother

at Union Station.

My Chicago daughter has warned me that our trip out of the city

will be during the heart of rush hour.

A most memorable Christmas season this is turning out to be.

Cut and Fold

Rather than slipping the gift card into a greeting card,

I recycled a greeting card to make a box to fit the gift card.

(I've seen one before, but I'm not sure I've tried my hand at one until now.)

I googled to find a pattern and found it delightfully easy to construct!
***
I was doubly pleased when I turned the box top over
and found the Christ Child in its center--
as though I'd made an effort to place Him there...
I hadn't.
But I AM determined to keep Him as the focus
in my personal life and celebrations this season.
I am well aware that it doesn't just "happen"
as easily as it did with the box top!
 

Each With a Story

 All on our tree...

 ...each with a story.

The Christmas Squeeze

'Twas a near-perfect day weather-wise for touring the Williams-Woodland neighborhood

in nearby Fort Wayne yesterday.

Grand old homes in various stages from gutted to completed

provided us with much inspiration and pleasure.

In spite of many fancy furnishings and beautiful table settings,

scenes such as this simple porch were my favorite sights.

I posted a few photos on Facebook, and someone commented,

 Thanks for sharing some pics! I'd have loved to go, but couldn't squeeze it in. 

 If there's one lesson I think I've learned in my almost-69-years,

it is NOT to try to squeeze the Christmas out of Christmas!

For me, this means a counter-cultural approach to the entire season.

It means sifting through the all the tantalizing events  

and selecting only a few of them.

It means limiting obligations.  

It means being thoughtful and realistic in gift-giving.

It means slowing down while others rush around me.

It means guarding both the calendar AND my heart.

It means extra time spent reading God's Word and conversation with Him.

It means finding my primary Christmas inspiration and pleasure  

from these two sources.

It means being generous and joyful from the inside out--

WITHOUT the squeeze.

 

No Room

"It's a l-o-n-g way to Bethlehem!"  I thought to myself

as our car made its way slowly in the maze of traffic

waiting for a turn to view the live nativity at a local church.

Driving home, we three adult passengers 

ranging in age from sixty-seven to ninety-one

decided that once-in-a-lifetime for this particular experience

would be enough for us.

THIS scene, "No Room in the Inn", reminded me of a Tim Keller tweet

that challenged me recently:

“The manger at Christmas means that, if you live like Jesus, 

there won’t be room for you in a lot of inns.” 

 

Old Pillows

 These two pillows have at least twenty years of age on them.

A friend and I stuffed and sewed our pairs together.

I still remember the pleasure of that day.

As I took them out of storage to enjoy this Christmas season,

my heart was warmed by the memory.

***

I've heard God's promises referred to as "pillows" for the soul.

 Here, for example:

What an immense and unspeakable privilege we have each day as Christians to lay our weary heads down upon the pillow of God’s promises. We are given the privilege of sleep, rest, and a daily spring of new mercies  (Lamentations 3:22-23)...consider afresh the promises of God. Recount them to yourself. And let them be to you a comfort, “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.” (Psalm 119:76).

When you first became a Christian these promises were fresh and new to you. Now, perhaps after some time they have become routine, even like furniture in your room. As believers laboring for faithful joy in God we mustn’t forget the glory of the promises. Unlike a pillow they never wear out and always meet us with appropriate comfort and refreshment. Like the Psalmist, then, recount these promises until you are comforted and properly provoked to rejoice.

 Daily, as I remember and rest on God's promises--old as the Book itself--

my heart is warmed.  I am comforted and "properly provoked to rejoice"!

More to Come

 I know it's early.  But we tackled cleaning out an entire (small) attic space.

 Christmas pasts were sorted, discarded and donated.

 What remains is slowly finding places throughout the house.

 We even assembled a 7' tree for a corner of our dining area.

 This is where we eat and spend evenings at the table playing games 

 or putting jigsaw puzzles together.

The lights are strung and after Thanksgiving weekend

we'll add the ornaments and bulbs.

We're happily enjoying the ambiance along with Christmas music

already playing on a local radio station.

More to come!

♪ It's Beginning.....♪

 Twenty-five trees were decorated

 and distributed throughout Das Essenhaus campus, Middlebury, Indiana.

 It's probably a GOOD thing I had placed it on my calendar

for today instead of tomorrow when the official Tour of Trees actually begins!

 

Crowds were slim.

 It was just right for comfortable viewing!

 The company was great and very appreciative...

 and the buffet we enjoyed before returning home was scrumptous!

It really IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas!