Home for the Holidays
The Bible says in the “Christmas story” found in Luke that “…Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I was inspired by her insight into the fact that the events that were happening at that moment were more profound than she could even imagine and that she must tuck them away for current and future contemplation. I know that the holiday season that just passed like a whirlwind in my life will remain in my memory for a long time, so on my way to the Philippines, I hope to be able to share some of the things that really impressed me about this season of thanks, love, and renewal (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years respectively).
Thanksgiving: A season of Thanks
In the shadow of Christmas and New Years, this holiday seems to be lost for many people, but for me, it is one of my favorites; however, because of school and travel, it is one holiday that I have not celebrated with my family for the past two years. The ability to cook and give thanks in the midst of familial charity was a great opportunity. Of course, this year was like none other because I worked like a madwoman (this trend continued and almost wiped me out during Christmas and New Years), but it made me appreciate the time I spent with my family.
When many things are vying for your time, you must choose wisely, so in those choices, you sacrifice other opportunities. When there are opportunity costs, you truly appreciate that which has captured your attention. Even though I was flying low, depleted by the long work hours, doubles, and overnight shifts I had just picked up (you would not have really known if you look at me because I hide fatigue quite well) my heart was fair to bursting with gratefulness for my family, as uniquely composed as it is, and I was energized by the food and opportunity to fellowship.
On the day of Thanksgiving, Genna and I spent it with my mom and stepdad and our step-grandparents. It was quiet and delicious, with the gourmet flair I look forward to every year. Then, Genna, Marty, and I had dinner with my dad and stepmom, celebrating my youngest stepbrother’s birthday with a Dora the Explorer cake, which goes to show you that you are never to old to appreciate a child’s decal on a scrumptious cake.
Not only was the time spent with family a lovely occurrence, but also the opportunity to see my pregnant sister was really wonderful. I think that pregnancy is one of the most amazing natural phenomena in life. I had a hard time with the physical aspect at first, with how it changes the body and makes you look “soft,” but after a while I grew accustomed and even enjoyed the maternal glow of my sister’s pregnant body and happy little bump developing inside of her. The size of her bump seemed to take conversational precedence, which I suppose is normal considering only less than half the population will ever have that alien-growing-in-you sensation. (I hope you know, Genna, how excited I am to be an aunt!)
Christmas: The season of Love
I once told my mom that no matter where I was on this planet, I would come home for Christmas. Well, I decided that for 2011, I would need to break this commitment and stay in Africa where I will be living and volunteering at the time. Since I am not going to be around for Christmas 2011, this year was even more momentous and noteworthy. To be at home for Christmas is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but to be at home for the entire month of December, preparing and building up for the most profound holiday we celebrate, was wholly rapturous. 
Sure, I worked past the point of exhaustion and traveled to NYC with some friends, who took me away from the hearth, but in spirit I was always there.
There are two things I continue to ponder in my heart: decorating my mom’s and dad’s homes with pretty garlands, ornaments, nativity scenes, and candles; and the faces of everyone as we fellowshipped with food and opened presents. It was “Christmas everywhere!” (My mom did not think that my way of decorating was exactly what she was looking for. I decorated like a steam engine, whereas she wanted to poke and prod, searching for the perfect angle and color combination, and she certainly did better than I attempted!)
Christmas was pretty significant at my dad’s home because it marked the final situation into their new place. We had spent a lot of hours trying to sift through junk and belongings to reach a place where the home was arranged. The Christmas decorations served to transform the new place into something more radiant and festive, brightening the sadness that could have overwhelmed the space after my stepbrother’s death. Although the Christmas decorations were nothing more than physical additions to the home, they really served as trinkets of regeneration. But more than even that, the seasonal metamorphose was a testament to God’s love triumphing in our lives. That is what the Christmas season is really about. 
I took great enjoyment from gazing at people’s faces while they participated in the holiday merriment. I do not think I have ever spent that amount of time looking at people and just storing away the mental picture. I memorized the Christmas story from Luke and the best aspect was being able to look into people’s eyes as I told them the greatest story of grace, love and forgiveness.
I will certainly appreciate the pictures I have stored away in my heart of Genna and Marty and their still budding love for one another, revealed in the bump showing through my sister’s radiant red dress; of Whitney and her New York hardcover and Midwest soft heart; of Mom and Steve and their generosity and hospitality to host parties for those they love; of Dad and Holly and their joy to have the family together and their desire to serve; and of the boys (Will, his wife Tabea and their baby, Carter, and Erik) and their love for one another and for the new life of one of the cutest babies on earth.
What a Christmas.
Love has many facets, and the love by which people are motivated during the holiday season is peerless from a commercial standpoint (so much giving of things and of time, gathering together to show support, appreciation and affection), but I found that I was being remiss in the aspect of true love, selfless love, that is really the point of Christmas. I decided that I needed to dig deeper into God’s love from which all good things and all things perfect come down to us. Although I love giving and receiving gifts at Christmas, I was struck by how gift giving during the holidays tends to be more selfish than anything.
(You give me a gift and I will give you one. I mean, how awkward is it when someone gives you a gift and you have nothing in return to present them or how silly do you feel sometimes when you give someone a Christmas present and they have nothing in exchange? This is kind of counterintuitive considering the very nature of a gift is to give because you desire to bless someone else not because you desire to receive from that person.) 
So, in my desire to understand the more everlasting love imbedded in the Christmas season, what I uncovered was that reflecting God’s love in the lives of my family was to share time and experiences with all four entities. Yes, this tends to be a little convoluted and a bit difficult to manage, but God gave me the strength to go from one place to the next to hug and smile at everyone who holds a place in my heart. After all Christmas is all about how love came down from heaven in the form of Christ Jesus born as a baby and placed in a dirty manger. Love is messy and so is life, so that is why God has bathed us in compassion and grace and told us to look to him as our example.
New Years: The season of renewal
After the hubbub of Christmas parties, gift giving, and feasting, New Years is always a welcome opportunity to start the year over. You celebrate with a bang the end of one year in honor of the progress into the next. I always love the idea of New Years and how it affords you with the occasion to make some goals and set off on that path, and whether you end up veering, abandoning or succeeding, I think that simply realizing what you need or want to accomplish is a step in the right direction. When you are motivated, good things happen, whatever the reality may be as life takes form in the New Year. As invigorating as I find the concept of New Years, the partying holds little sway as I consider the pressure to fabricate fun on one evening to be a little tiresome and most often disappointing. This year, I decided to work overnight on New Years, which means that I was taking a lady to the bathroom when the clock struck midnight. (Actually, a lady rang for assistance at 11:57 pm—I remember looking at my watch—and I took her to the toilet and said that I would be right back. I could not bear the thought of counting down while looking at an old woman on a toilet, so I left her on the toilet for a few minutes and went down the hall to watch the NYC ball drop minute countdown with the nurse on duty and my fellow nursing assistant with whom I was working.) No wild parties, but in some way, I felt more fulfilled after that night of work than many New Year’s Eve parties I have experienced. Go figure!
(This is a picture of some friends from high school who all gathered together a few days after Christmas and the reason I am showing it here is that part of ending 2010 was to ensure that I had made contact with all those who are important to me and these were a few that remained until we were all back together over the Christmas season!)
Since I did not have the New Year’s Eve celebration, I decided to have a New Year’s Day brunch with friends and family. It was delightful. I slept two hours after work, during which time my mom started preparing the menu. Then, when I woke up energized for the party, we finished the Torta Rustica (layered vegetables and cheese covered with puff pastry), the vegetable strata (not as good as yours, Dad), the roasted pears in a wine and orange sauce, the zucchini rounds with tomatoes and goat cheese and chives (thanks, Steve, for assembling those!), and the sausage and bacon (not of my doing, of course). The best part of the morning was giving Whitney and her friend, Erica, a craft project to complete. I wanted them to make cards on which our guests could write their resolutions. They griped and laughed about how bad they were at crafting (quite truthful), but watching and listening to them and knowing they had a place in the festivities touched my heart. The preparation for the party was a lovely as the actual brunch. A couple hours to celebrate the new year with some really good people was quite satisfying and empowered me for the double shift I worked later that day. The day certainly set the tone for what I hope will be a great year.
Thanksgiving: A season of Thanks
In the shadow of Christmas and New Years, this holiday seems to be lost for many people, but for me, it is one of my favorites; however, because of school and travel, it is one holiday that I have not celebrated with my family for the past two years. The ability to cook and give thanks in the midst of familial charity was a great opportunity. Of course, this year was like none other because I worked like a madwoman (this trend continued and almost wiped me out during Christmas and New Years), but it made me appreciate the time I spent with my family. 
When many things are vying for your time, you must choose wisely, so in those choices, you sacrifice other opportunities. When there are opportunity costs, you truly appreciate that which has captured your attention. Even though I was flying low, depleted by the long work hours, doubles, and overnight shifts I had just picked up (you would not have really known if you look at me because I hide fatigue quite well) my heart was fair to bursting with gratefulness for my family, as uniquely composed as it is, and I was energized by the food and opportunity to fellowship. 
On the day of Thanksgiving, Genna and I spent it with my mom and stepdad and our step-grandparents. It was quiet and delicious, with the gourmet flair I look forward to every year. Then, Genna, Marty, and I had dinner with my dad and stepmom, celebrating my youngest stepbrother’s birthday with a Dora the Explorer cake, which goes to show you that you are never to old to appreciate a child’s decal on a scrumptious cake. 
Not only was the time spent with family a lovely occurrence, but also the opportunity to see my pregnant sister was really wonderful. I think that pregnancy is one of the most amazing natural phenomena in life. I had a hard time with the physical aspect at first, with how it changes the body and makes you look “soft,” but after a while I grew accustomed and even enjoyed the maternal glow of my sister’s pregnant body and happy little bump developing inside of her. The size of her bump seemed to take conversational precedence, which I suppose is normal considering only less than half the population will ever have that alien-growing-in-you sensation. (I hope you know, Genna, how excited I am to be an aunt!) Christmas: The season of Love
I once told my mom that no matter where I was on this planet, I would come home for Christmas. Well, I decided that for 2011, I would need to break this commitment and stay in Africa where I will be living and volunteering at the time. Since I am not going to be around for Christmas 2011, this year was even more momentous and noteworthy. To be at home for Christmas is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but to be at home for the entire month of December, preparing and building up for the most profound holiday we celebrate, was wholly rapturous. 
Sure, I worked past the point of exhaustion and traveled to NYC with some friends, who took me away from the hearth, but in spirit I was always there. There are two things I continue to ponder in my heart: decorating my mom’s and dad’s homes with pretty garlands, ornaments, nativity scenes, and candles; and the faces of everyone as we fellowshipped with food and opened presents. It was “Christmas everywhere!” (My mom did not think that my way of decorating was exactly what she was looking for. I decorated like a steam engine, whereas she wanted to poke and prod, searching for the perfect angle and color combination, and she certainly did better than I attempted!)
Christmas was pretty significant at my dad’s home because it marked the final situation into their new place. We had spent a lot of hours trying to sift through junk and belongings to reach a place where the home was arranged. The Christmas decorations served to transform the new place into something more radiant and festive, brightening the sadness that could have overwhelmed the space after my stepbrother’s death. Although the Christmas decorations were nothing more than physical additions to the home, they really served as trinkets of regeneration. But more than even that, the seasonal metamorphose was a testament to God’s love triumphing in our lives. That is what the Christmas season is really about. 
I took great enjoyment from gazing at people’s faces while they participated in the holiday merriment. I do not think I have ever spent that amount of time looking at people and just storing away the mental picture. I memorized the Christmas story from Luke and the best aspect was being able to look into people’s eyes as I told them the greatest story of grace, love and forgiveness.
I will certainly appreciate the pictures I have stored away in my heart of Genna and Marty and their still budding love for one another, revealed in the bump showing through my sister’s radiant red dress; of Whitney and her New York hardcover and Midwest soft heart; of Mom and Steve and their generosity and hospitality to host parties for those they love; of Dad and Holly and their joy to have the family together and their desire to serve; and of the boys (Will, his wife Tabea and their baby, Carter, and Erik) and their love for one another and for the new life of one of the cutest babies on earth.
What a Christmas.Love has many facets, and the love by which people are motivated during the holiday season is peerless from a commercial standpoint (so much giving of things and of time, gathering together to show support, appreciation and affection), but I found that I was being remiss in the aspect of true love, selfless love, that is really the point of Christmas. I decided that I needed to dig deeper into God’s love from which all good things and all things perfect come down to us. Although I love giving and receiving gifts at Christmas, I was struck by how gift giving during the holidays tends to be more selfish than anything.
(You give me a gift and I will give you one. I mean, how awkward is it when someone gives you a gift and you have nothing in return to present them or how silly do you feel sometimes when you give someone a Christmas present and they have nothing in exchange? This is kind of counterintuitive considering the very nature of a gift is to give because you desire to bless someone else not because you desire to receive from that person.) 
So, in my desire to understand the more everlasting love imbedded in the Christmas season, what I uncovered was that reflecting God’s love in the lives of my family was to share time and experiences with all four entities. Yes, this tends to be a little convoluted and a bit difficult to manage, but God gave me the strength to go from one place to the next to hug and smile at everyone who holds a place in my heart. After all Christmas is all about how love came down from heaven in the form of Christ Jesus born as a baby and placed in a dirty manger. Love is messy and so is life, so that is why God has bathed us in compassion and grace and told us to look to him as our example.
New Years: The season of renewal
After the hubbub of Christmas parties, gift giving, and feasting, New Years is always a welcome opportunity to start the year over. You celebrate with a bang the end of one year in honor of the progress into the next. I always love the idea of New Years and how it affords you with the occasion to make some goals and set off on that path, and whether you end up veering, abandoning or succeeding, I think that simply realizing what you need or want to accomplish is a step in the right direction. When you are motivated, good things happen, whatever the reality may be as life takes form in the New Year. As invigorating as I find the concept of New Years, the partying holds little sway as I consider the pressure to fabricate fun on one evening to be a little tiresome and most often disappointing. This year, I decided to work overnight on New Years, which means that I was taking a lady to the bathroom when the clock struck midnight. (Actually, a lady rang for assistance at 11:57 pm—I remember looking at my watch—and I took her to the toilet and said that I would be right back. I could not bear the thought of counting down while looking at an old woman on a toilet, so I left her on the toilet for a few minutes and went down the hall to watch the NYC ball drop minute countdown with the nurse on duty and my fellow nursing assistant with whom I was working.) No wild parties, but in some way, I felt more fulfilled after that night of work than many New Year’s Eve parties I have experienced. Go figure!
(This is a picture of some friends from high school who all gathered together a few days after Christmas and the reason I am showing it here is that part of ending 2010 was to ensure that I had made contact with all those who are important to me and these were a few that remained until we were all back together over the Christmas season!)Since I did not have the New Year’s Eve celebration, I decided to have a New Year’s Day brunch with friends and family. It was delightful. I slept two hours after work, during which time my mom started preparing the menu. Then, when I woke up energized for the party, we finished the Torta Rustica (layered vegetables and cheese covered with puff pastry), the vegetable strata (not as good as yours, Dad), the roasted pears in a wine and orange sauce, the zucchini rounds with tomatoes and goat cheese and chives (thanks, Steve, for assembling those!), and the sausage and bacon (not of my doing, of course). The best part of the morning was giving Whitney and her friend, Erica, a craft project to complete. I wanted them to make cards on which our guests could write their resolutions. They griped and laughed about how bad they were at crafting (quite truthful), but watching and listening to them and knowing they had a place in the festivities touched my heart. The preparation for the party was a lovely as the actual brunch. A couple hours to celebrate the new year with some really good people was quite satisfying and empowered me for the double shift I worked later that day. The day certainly set the tone for what I hope will be a great year.
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