Shopping for Santa is finished and Christmas wishes better
have been sent to locations far and near. Moms and Dads will soon huddle
together learning the truth of “some assembly required.” There will be multiple
goodies overstuffed with more calories than I should probably consume in 27
years. It’s about time to prepare our personal cuisine for every Christmas Eve:
shrimps, little pizzas and hot dogs. I’m glad that Santa does not believe in
counting calories.
Bob’s got ideas for outside our home starting tonight,
Christmas Eve and extending through the 12 days of Christmas. I’m unsure of
what that will entail. I do know that we’ll be home for Christmas, relaxing in
the wonder of Christ’s birth. I’m planning on staying in my PJ’s all day
Christmas while reading the many kid books I have collected.
Bob and I are both slow at getting things done and that
brings a strong sense of frustration. We have tried to curb our expectations
and focus on that special birth. We wanted to welcome Christmas in our own
church and our own church family. That late night service on Christmas Eve will
further ignite a sense of serenity within us. Yet will it help cushion the sore
muscles and nerves that are apart of our bodies?
Bob has fallen each day, despite prayers for good health.
Yesterday he slipped on the small ladder in our basement going up to our crawl
space. The ladder fell on my hubby, capturing him until I could waddle over to
release him from his trap. Today, he slipped on our first step outside and
landed on our cement. The sidewalk is still good, with no apparent cracks.
Bob’s head is not quite as lucky.
He has tried hard to have lights appear this holy night with
Santa kneeling at our manger scene. A snowflake hanging from some lower
branches is a substitute for the star that will lead those wise men on their
journey. (Can you imagine, God could only find three smart guys in all of Judea
and beyond? How many could He locate today?) A thin, colored sheet of metal
forms Santa’s body kneeling at the base of the sacred manger. A white wooden
manger scene that has filled our yard for many years surrounds it. Bob is
attempting to hide one of the baby Jesuses, but I think of my eldest grandson
who asked to go see the other Jesus outside.
We will soon put luminaries outside along the sidewalk. Bob
had looked for white ones about 304 days too late. We had some red and green
ones I picked up somewhere, so they will be lovely substitutes for ones more solemn.
Bob is sleeping now, praying to wake with little pain. I
napped this afternoon, so I am ready to go! My cough medicine with codeine
knocks me out, so I will try to silently hack away. You all know the feeling of
trying not to cough at some public event. I have yet to learn the trick so wish
me luck at disguising my ailment. I talked with Stephanie’s family. They are huddled with
things to “nosh” watching our annual Miracle
on 34th Street. She has extended our patterns to her new family.
The boys got to blow out the 4th Advent candle and get birthday cake
for Jesus at their home church. What a sense of peace that gives me. Suddenly,
the hip is not so burning and my cough is reduced!
I have long told anyone near me in script or on the street
of the many joys wrapped in the wonder of having grandchildren. There are few
people in all of Chicagoland who are unaware of my status as a grandmother.
With all that bottled pleasure comes a blanket of serenity when I see the
actions of a past generation repeated this holy night. As my daughter begins to
instill the real magic of a holy birth, as Bob and I attend our church service,
as past generations have sung Silent
Night there is peace for the world, a break in the busyness and a dream for
the future. Help keep that dream alive. Merry Christmas Eve.
God Uses My Chronic Pain to Prove that Life is Good:
- It takes us longer, so we
pick and choose the right activities for our home. We stop to prepare in a new
way, making sure we insure the echo of the words of Luke. Life is good!
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