Back to the Future!

"When God closes a door, He somewhere opens a window."

My life has gone through so many changes over the decades that very little of it has surprised me...until now. My past has become my present again. I am truly blessed.

Christmas Recap

I really wasn't looking forward to Christmas Day, but it was simply delightful...as was Christmas Eve. Both days were hectic and filled with traditional, family dishes and many telephone conversations shared across the miles. My aunts and cousins called to let me know that their knitted gifts had been received, and I was also able to speak with a couple of high school pals and a few local friends. I am truly blessed with an abundance of family and friends!

My youngest son and his family stayed overnight on Christmas Eve, so Santa delivered Rat Girl's Christmas booty to my house in the morning. It was bedlam and had been quite a while since Santa delivered gifts to young children here. Rat Girl...only 4-years old...woke her father with the following words, "My mother is up; your mother is up; so get up now!" Experiencing the innocence of a grandchild, who truly believes in the goodness and generosity of Santa Claus, on Christmas morning is a gift I'll not soon forget.

We ate our way through my infamous sloppy lasagna on Christmas Eve and crockpot ham & pierogies on Christmas Day. I should have gained weight, but I ended up losing another three pounds. It doesn't sound like much, but I'd already lost over 20 going into the holidays. I'm not concerned just yet because I believe it's from stress. If it doesn't level off soon, I'll pursue it. For now, I'm just rolling with the punches and waiting for my new life to take its direction.

Christmas Cheer

What is it about Christmas that brings out the worst in people? Is it suddenly wrong for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ? We all celebrate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the birth of our Nation without a problem, so why pick on Baby Jesus?

According to Wikipedia, the word "nativity" means the general time and place of one's birth and early years. The nativity of Jesus was in Bethlehem, so Christmas Nativity scenes of that time and place are historically accurate. However, the jury is still out on the historic value of aligning George Washington with cherry trees.

It appears that Santa Claus is okay, but doesn't legend tell us he's delivering toys to good girls and boys in celebration of the Birth of Jesus? Wal*Mart doesn't appear to have a problem with this concept, so dirty lucre must politically correct.

And, why all the fuss over displaying Christmas trees? Unless Hallmark has a better grasp on accuracy than I do, I doubt the Magi decorated pine trees upon their arrival at Bethlehem. Since the Bible doesn't speak to Christmas trees, I can't see how they can be deemed religious in nature. However, they are traditionally linked to the celebration of Christ's birthday celebration in colder climates. If you want to call them "holiday trees," that's fine with me. What holiday do they celebrate? That would be Christmas! Even growing in the fields they're still called "Christmas" trees!

I've decided to add one more name to my Christmas card list...the ACLU. Hmmm...I wonder if they forego a company Christmas Party. Don't be rude or crude, but if you'd like to send them "Merry Christmas" greetings too, here's their address:

ACLU

125 Broad Street

18th Floor

New York, NY 10004

A Blog Is Born!

I haven't quite decided the direction of this little corner of the blogosphere, but it will develop soon enough. I don't consider myself particularly interesting or talented, so I imagine this blog will be cluttered with a lot of useless information.