In between
Well...How did it go for everyone? Christmas? Right now we are in between Christmas day and a new start to a New Year. For some... this is a week of work - others a week of taking time off to be with family, friends or just by yourself? For me...it's a work week for sure. Today I am writing a sermon for Sunday... I am going to play with the idea of Jesus' teenage years...things we don't see or talk about - it's a bit unknown, different...Him growing up as a teenager...not sinning at all...wonder how my sermon will turn out?
My Christmas was a good one for the most part. Our drive to BC and even back into Alberta was a bit unnerving. The roads were awfully- icy and just not good at all...my stress level was a bit high by the time I came to my family in BC. But we made it...there and back. This year was a bit different - it was the first time after 10 years or so that we were able to be home for Christmas Eve with my family. It was good. Good to be with my family but different. It's funny what you remember celebrating and then what actually happens can be two different things. Sometimes we hang on to our 'traditions' because that is what we only remember and in the end it may not even be our tradition anymore. I wonder if it's fear of letting go of the past...In the last 10 years or so Mike and I have developed and come to love our traditional Christmas Eve celebration. So in a way it was new to me being at my sisters for Christmas Eve. She is a great host and her home and tree looked wonderful... she made a great lasagna too - it was enough to feed 25 people alone. Sometimes we come into events with expectations that are not met or that turn out different that we had thought of - but it's still good. It's just different. So we live into that different. Maybe I have been gone so long that nothing is the same anymore...different tree, house, life, it's just different. Maybe I wanted it to be so much the same. Maybe there was this sense of urgency as my dad just got home from the hospital for everything to be the same. I don't know... One thing I do know that didn't change is the food. It's always about the food at our house! Roasted pig, potato and pickle salad and lot's and lots of home made baking that my mom did this year. Potica, peaches, and horseshoes...my favorite. We had a few of my parents close friends with us and ate. Then we opened presents on Christmas Eve. So I guess some things didn't change. I would not have wanted to be anywhere else than with my family this year for Christmas. So I guess even with all things being different - it's still family and that stays the same. You can't change that.
A few days after we headed to Taber to be with Mikes family. Just one day, we shared a meal, opened gifts. It was good too. Different in many ways too...Mikes mom is no longer with us so there is always this empty hole - we miss her smile and her way of always welcoming us and being so excited to see us. Her cooking - she made amazing stuffing. Different once again. Oh don't get me wrong. It's ok we are hosted wonderfully...at the Westerhoud's...it's just different.
We are home now, it does feel empty and lonely just the 2 of us. The busyness has faded and we are back to work. New Years is coming up in 2 days. We are contemplating what to do. For years we celebrated with 10-20 students - rushing back to get home for New Years so we can celebrate ...usually skating and eating and ending the evening with fireworks. It's different again this year. Last year it was ok to do something different...this year we miss it.
I guess we all experience change and now we need to look forward to what the next phase of life will be - living into that change - how to engage all of it and live abundantly into it. God would want that - to live abundantly within change. So I am now thinking and praying what God wants next for us...how we live into 2011. It will be a year of much change in many ways I know this already. How do we live into the choices that we choose for ourselves...and well sometimes don't choose...change chooses us. Will we go with fear or with gusto! I heard today the most repeated command in the Bible is Do not be afraid. FEAR NOT. Hmmm...so I guess we go into 'different' without fear. Change is ok. It's how we react to change that can ruin it all. Nothing ever stays the same here on earth. Whether we choose change or it chooses us...we can't be afraid.
Happy New Year!
My Christmas was a good one for the most part. Our drive to BC and even back into Alberta was a bit unnerving. The roads were awfully- icy and just not good at all...my stress level was a bit high by the time I came to my family in BC. But we made it...there and back. This year was a bit different - it was the first time after 10 years or so that we were able to be home for Christmas Eve with my family. It was good. Good to be with my family but different. It's funny what you remember celebrating and then what actually happens can be two different things. Sometimes we hang on to our 'traditions' because that is what we only remember and in the end it may not even be our tradition anymore. I wonder if it's fear of letting go of the past...In the last 10 years or so Mike and I have developed and come to love our traditional Christmas Eve celebration. So in a way it was new to me being at my sisters for Christmas Eve. She is a great host and her home and tree looked wonderful... she made a great lasagna too - it was enough to feed 25 people alone. Sometimes we come into events with expectations that are not met or that turn out different that we had thought of - but it's still good. It's just different. So we live into that different. Maybe I have been gone so long that nothing is the same anymore...different tree, house, life, it's just different. Maybe I wanted it to be so much the same. Maybe there was this sense of urgency as my dad just got home from the hospital for everything to be the same. I don't know... One thing I do know that didn't change is the food. It's always about the food at our house! Roasted pig, potato and pickle salad and lot's and lots of home made baking that my mom did this year. Potica, peaches, and horseshoes...my favorite. We had a few of my parents close friends with us and ate. Then we opened presents on Christmas Eve. So I guess some things didn't change. I would not have wanted to be anywhere else than with my family this year for Christmas. So I guess even with all things being different - it's still family and that stays the same. You can't change that.
A few days after we headed to Taber to be with Mikes family. Just one day, we shared a meal, opened gifts. It was good too. Different in many ways too...Mikes mom is no longer with us so there is always this empty hole - we miss her smile and her way of always welcoming us and being so excited to see us. Her cooking - she made amazing stuffing. Different once again. Oh don't get me wrong. It's ok we are hosted wonderfully...at the Westerhoud's...it's just different.
We are home now, it does feel empty and lonely just the 2 of us. The busyness has faded and we are back to work. New Years is coming up in 2 days. We are contemplating what to do. For years we celebrated with 10-20 students - rushing back to get home for New Years so we can celebrate ...usually skating and eating and ending the evening with fireworks. It's different again this year. Last year it was ok to do something different...this year we miss it.
I guess we all experience change and now we need to look forward to what the next phase of life will be - living into that change - how to engage all of it and live abundantly into it. God would want that - to live abundantly within change. So I am now thinking and praying what God wants next for us...how we live into 2011. It will be a year of much change in many ways I know this already. How do we live into the choices that we choose for ourselves...and well sometimes don't choose...change chooses us. Will we go with fear or with gusto! I heard today the most repeated command in the Bible is Do not be afraid. FEAR NOT. Hmmm...so I guess we go into 'different' without fear. Change is ok. It's how we react to change that can ruin it all. Nothing ever stays the same here on earth. Whether we choose change or it chooses us...we can't be afraid.
Happy New Year!
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