Christmas Countdown 2023…Day 16
How are you doing? Are you getting Christmas tasks checked off? We had a busy week so here are a few photos and stories to share.
On Sunday we enjoyed some time with dear friends that included hopping in a golf cart to view the Christmas lights at the local golf course. Trees on the Tees is a park district event where local businesses decorate trees along the cart path.
While it was a balmy 28 degrees, we had our love and the Christmas lights to keep us warm. And hot chocolate, so that always helps, too.
Our week was full of watching children and grandchildren do their things and I don’t have a ton of photos, but here are the highlights:
On Wednesday we drove to St. Louis and were delighted to see Sarah lead her middle schoolers in their holiday orchestra concert. This is her 6th grade group and they were amazing. 7th and 8th also did a great job including a blues tune with an impressive number of improv solos. That’s our girl for you. Encouraging young musicians to create their own music.
We enjoyed some “St. Louis Style” Pizza before the concert at Nick and Elena’s with Jack. We learned about Provel cheese, which is a blend of provolone, cheddar and Swiss that is the key to this yummy version of pizza.
After the concert I snapped a pic of our girl with two of her biggest fans…
She was showing off her shoes that add height for her directing responsibilities. I think her heart is big enough, she stands tall with or without them <3
We got to see the kiddos, kind of, sort of, between practices and rehearsals and such this week. On Tuesday I got to help Joel make brownies for a class assignment.
He did such a good job and his class must have loved them because Rachel sent me a photo the next day of that pan with only crumbs.
On Thursday the weather was nice enough to take them to a park. The boys threw football passes to each other, Papi and the heights of heaven.
This one…
had a blast doing all kinds of feats of flexibility. She wanted to play hide and seek but I told her no way. When she asked me why, I said I couldn’t bear to not see her for any amount of time.
I may not be able to climb and such like this young noodle of a girl but I do enjoy my walks. There is a row of pine trees I pass on one of the paths that just makes me smile every time.
The pine cones are miniature works of art nestled into the prettiest boughs. No plastic greenery can imitate the perfection of God’s creation. The masterpiece is best left on it’s place of origin, but I can capture with my camera so here it is…
This kind of beauty gives me a sense of order and peace in my heart. It reminds me that while we go about our man-made messes, God reigns quietly sustaining life and all things good.
Among the other things we did this week was to attend the funeral of a well-loved man in our community. We held back tight sobs as one of his daughters shared tenderly about the man he was. Only five years older than me, his life revolved around his family and church much like our own patriarch.
It was too close to home. Another reminder of the fragile life we live.
Yesterday at work, two different people came in looking for just the right card, just the right gift for someone who had lost a loved one. They wanted to do something this Christmas season to acknowledge the pain of loss.
Both customers, with different circumstances, lingered over various cards and gifts. They spilled out their story of feeling the pain of empathizing with the grief of another. Taking on that person’s loss along with their own grief.
This is the heart of the Christmas story.
God came to take on our pain and sin and sorrow, our death and decay. I see others allowing the heart to be torn between the joy of the season and the acceptance of the broken state of our world that caused it. In this tension of being caught between great joy and great sorrow, we better understand the gift of Emmanuel.
God with us <3