Time Marches On

I enjoy receiving a newsletter from our local Aging & Disability Resource Center.  It's always chocked full of helpful hints and useful information.  One article in the latest edition, written by Steven B. Cloud, was about time.  According to Mr. Cloud, as we view the new year, we'll perhaps see it as 12 months or 52 weeks or 365 days.  But we can also see it as 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes or even 31,536,000 seconds.  It's one thing for me to refer to a year or months or weeks or even days, but when I do the math and see next year as hours, minutes or seconds, time takes on an entirely new meaning.  How will I use this precious gift of those hours, minutes and seconds in 2013?  How will I be a good steward of my time, living each moment with intention and gratitude and not squandering it?  As I get older, time marches on more quickly.  All the more reason to make each moment count.

Snowballs

Larry and I took a brief drive out of town on a recent Sunday afternoon. I expected it to be a rather ordinary little drive, one that we've taken time and time again, but what we encountered was far from ordinary.  Our drive took us to a winter wonderland.   It was only a few days after our big pre-Christmas blizzard.  The evergreen trees were flocked with thick, white snow.  The silhouettes of the deciduous trees were barely visible in their generous cloaks of white.  Some of the tree branches were surprisingly decorated with snowballs, the same size that we used to make in mitten-covered hands as kids.  How did the snow land in just that fashion on tree after tree without falling off, I wondered. Snow covered the roof of a round (probably octagonal) barn and stuck to the side of silos.  A hawk flew majestically over our heads while hundreds of little black-silhouetted birds (starlings, perhaps) sat high up in three trees positioned close together.  The sun was setting as we returned home.  The western horizon was a stunning gradation of gold and yellow and blue and gray.  I counted my blessings for all of the beauty we were fortunate to witness that not-so-ordinary, snowy, wintery afternoon.

With the Angels

This month has been marked with an unusually large number of people I knew who have passed away, many of whom around the Christmas holiday.  Some were newer acquaintances, some were old friends, some were relatives. While my heart has been heavy with so much loss, I find solace that these fine people, people I knew, people I cherished are now at peace, no longer suffering from illness.  As we sang Silent Night at church on Christmas Eve, I internalized the words even more deeply this year:  "All is calm, All is bright...Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace."  My human sadness will continue for a bit as I resolve the loss of these special people in my life, but I will also be grateful that my life was touched and made better by them.  And now, where all is calm, all is bright, they sleep in heavenly peace, forever with the angels.

Thinking Charitably

Nowadays, there's a catchy name for just about everything, including the big shopping days of the holiday season:  Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Green Tuesday.  I'm not sure if it has a special name or not, but I love to think and give charitably at the holidays.  Other than to buy a few gifts for a few special people, Larry and I have made it a practice for the past 15 years or so to give to charities at Christmas rather than to each other.  There is so little that we want and even less that we need that it gives us great joy to know that when we choose our gifts, we are helping the local children's, health, history, environmental, educational, spiritual and other organizations that mean so much to us and others.  With no worries about the right size, color or style, we only have to hope that our gifts will be of benefit to the quality of life of others all year long.

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding

For all the years I've sung "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," including the verse demanding some figgy pudding, I've never really thought about the lyrics too much -- until this year, that is.  I have become enamored with figs.  Our local health foods store, The Grainery, sells organic figs -- regular and dried -- in bulk and I've become a big fan of them.  I really like conadria figs, which are filled with fiber and nutrients and have a golden color, rich, nutty flavor and tender skins. Just one fig at the end of my lunch or dinner makes for a nice, sweet and nutritious ending to my meal.  I've become so fascinated by figs and figgy pudding that I researched them online.  On www.carols.org.uk, I learned that "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" can possibly be traced as far back as 16th century England.  Carolers would sing for wealthy members of the community and be given Christmas treats in exchange for their entertainment.  One of the treats that the carolers would request was figgy pudding.  You don't really hear anything about figgy pudding anymore, but this same online source reported that the pudding was made of figs, butter, sugar, rum, apple, lemon and orange peel, various spices and more.  I won't likely be singing anytime soon for figgy pudding, but I'm glad that I can get yummy figs any time of the year.

 

Birthday Party

Our Christmas was a birthday party.  From a Biblical perspective, Christmas is, as the song says, “the birthday party of the king.”  Our Christmas was also a birthday party for our good friend Betty who turned 90 on Christmas Day.  We celebrated with our good friend over good food and good conversation.  Our Christmas feast came from our church’s community Christmas dinner.  We brought take-out containers to Betty's house, ate ourselves silly, yet still saved room for Christmas treats and birthday cake and ice cream. We were joined on occasion by Betty’s feline ladies who otherwise enjoyed a long, Christmas Day nap.  The gift wrapping, bows and ribbons will make for appealing playthings for the kitties. In every way, our Christmas was a blessing -- a celebration of the meaning of the holiday, a birthday party for our dear friend and an opportunity to break bread together in gratitude for all that we have and for each other.  Those were precious Christmas gifts indeed.

Making Christmas Music Memories

When Larry and I were in the car for several hours recently, I thoroughly enjoyed the confined time with him.  In addition to having time free of distractions for conversation and reading aloud, we listened to Christmas music on the car radio.  We sang along, tapping to the beat on the dash and steering wheel, all the while feeling the spirit of the season with each song.  Our car time together reminded me of Christmases from my childhood.  Santa always arrived while we were at church on Christmas Eve, so we opened our gifts on the evening of December 24.  On Christmas Day, Mom, Dad and I would pile into the car to head to Manitowoc and Two Rivers, Wisconsin to spend the holiday and several days thereafter with family and friends.  Both of my parents had parents and siblings living in those sister communities, as well as longtime friends, so it seemed as if we ran from one house to another, enjoying the joyful noise, merriment and treats of the season with people we loved.  All the way to Manitowoc, Mom, Dad and I would tune in the car radio to Christmas music, changing channels as needed to reach a new station when the previous one became filled with static.  Singing, humming and laughing while listening to Christmas music made our three-hour trip seem much shorter.  As Larry and I sang along with Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Andy Williams and Burl Ives, I cherished these new moments made with him.  And, at the same time, I recalled lovely memories of decades ago when listening to Christmas music on the car radio with people I loved meant everything to this little girl.  May you have beautiful Christmas memories to remember and a day today filled with making new memories with those you love.  Merry Christmas.