A Little Ink Blot

Some dishes in life are like a kids first conscious taste of liver and onions. Or like a missionary's story I heard 25 years ago. When Marilyn Lazlo's sister visited her in Papua New Guinea, the people of Hauna village treated the sisters to an outing in the forest, complete with lunch gathered during the walk. The main course was white grubs on palm leaves. Marilyn's sister graciously allowed her to eat first. Marilyn quickly prayed, "Lord, I'll eat this all up if You'll keep it all down."

Two of my good friends are facing surgeries this next week. One for a gall bladder removal and one for breast cancer. There is a long history of steps and pains and prayer that has led up to the big event for both of them. And there will be a long road of recovery and change and more prayer to come.

If I had my way, neither event would ever happen to my friends. And yet the hand of God has served these dishes with great tenderness and love. Through the pain and confusion and fear, both of my friends seem to be saying, "Lord, I'll eat this all up if You'll keep it all down."

Today is Boxing Day, and in the midst of straighening the house, managing all the new toys, and putting things away, I feel like I am wrapping up this whole Christmas spirit thing. I have been in every room of the house to put something away, and in every entrance and exit I find another item that needs to be addressed. It reminds me that Christmas is over.

There is no more heightened anticipation underlying the mundane chores. They are just chores. The piles of laundry will get smaller and smaller, but the fun of dressing up for Christmas pictures, Church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Gramma's house is also over. The closets will all be straightened and cleaned up, but there are no presents hiding in those back corners, either. Old toys will be put away, and the new toys will be old by the end of the day. What is left to keep me motivated?

Aha! I think I found it. A list!

In the back bedroom, hiding behind the chair under the window, is a pile of broken things. A blanket unravelling, a teddy bear in pieces, a pillow with split seams. They made me remember one of the items on my Christmas Wish List. A few months ago I made a mental note that read, "For Christmas: fix all the broken things and wrap them up for family gifts." I must have seen that item on the list every time I cleaned up in the bedroom, but that was as far as I took it.

So, I can keep the Spirit of Chrstmas alive all year long by starting a new list for next year. Won't this be fun? I can start the list today, and next week I can begin working in secret on accomplishing it. Besides, if I call it A New List I won't feel guilt or shame at not having finished them all for this year. And, when I find myself getting annoyed at my mundane to-do lists, I can bring this one back out and recapture the magic of Christmas anticipation.

Ok, here goes:
Item 1: Finish the Christmas gifts from 2005 for Christmas 2006 -- a snake, a blanket, an afghan, a photo album, a recipe book....
Item 2: Repair all the girls broken toys and books -- two bears, three pillows, a cow, a VeggieTales Jonah, a pile of torn books.
Item 3: Mend Ted's buttonless shirts --oh, hey, if I do that this week, I will be in time for his birthday next week!
Item 4....

"Look, out Esther's window, Santa! Reindeer! Train! Christmas Lights!"
"Where, where, where? Oh, I missed 'em."
"Oh, where, oh where, are the Christmas Lights?"
"Here, Christmas Lights. C'm'ere, Christmas Lights!"
"Look, out Daddy's window, lots and lots of lights!"
"I see'm! I see'm"
And on and on it goes. From the time the sunlight begins to fade in the afternoon until the girls are herded into the house, there is excitement in every car ride. Christmas is approaching, and the electric companies are making lots of money, because Oregonians (and Washingtonians, we saw today) love to put up lighted decorations.
Many yards have more than 30 individual displays, plus the lights on eaves and roof and trees and shrubs. There are wire reindeer with animated body parts; Santas on trains with wheels that go around and smoke that rises from the stack; old fashioned plastic figures with lights inside; new fashioned nylon figures with air to make them stand up and lights inside; six foot tall snowglobes with foam pellets circulating by fan motor. Anything winter, anything holliday, anything festive the mind can dream up, it can be found alit on some lawn in Oregon.
It is one of our traditions to drive around for an entire evening and see all the lights we possibly can pack into a single night. The girls are excited about it every time we get into the car. "Will we see them all tonight?" they ask over and over, and "Is tonight the night?" "No," we say, "there is more to come!"
Every hillside, every town, every block, nearly every yard has something to show through Christmas Lights. And everywhere we go, we look, and search and hope. Even Esther, who is only two, notices when we see yard after light after display with no Baby Jesus in sight. She does ask, and so does Alene. "Where is Jesus?" "Where is the manger?" "Look there is a star! Where are the angels?"
And we ask them, "Who is most important at Christmas?" And they know! "It is Jesus, He's the best!" And so we keep looking! And I know we are not alone. Especially at this time of year. People are looking!
"So, let your light so shine before men...!"

Welcome to my blog. (Isn't that the generic opening line for all "first blogs?")

I am excited to be writing here again. My old blog system broke down, was too time consuming, and had little except content to recommend it. So, it has been abandoned in favor of this impressive new blogging system. The old content will appear here in the days to come.

Until then, I am busy recovering from and living through Thanksgiving weekend.

Friday evening has become our family movie night. The girls watch a kids movie, eat popcorn, and relax with Mom and Dad before a late bed time.
Then Mom and Dad watch a late video and harass the girls until they fall asleep. This Friday, Esther chose to watch Disney's Jungle Book. Mom
sings-a-long and the girls dance to all the songs. It is great fun. But when the movie is over: Pajama time.

Esther was immediately and unusually
obedient this week. She ran to her bedroom and took off her play clothes. Then she decided she had to go potty. Being 2, that is a surprising and exciting
discovery. So she ran to the bathroom, took off her pull-up, and did it all by herself. She was so pleased she immediately ran out to the front room
dancing a jig and singing at the top of her voice "just da bare 'essecities, da bare 'essecities..." The absolutely bare truth!