Happy Holidays

Yes, I know I had a week away as we recovered from vacation. But now I am on a break from school - we have painting to do and some third quarter planning that needs to be done. And we want to rest and hang out and build Legos and celebrate birthdays and Christmas and all that good stuff. So, unless inspiration strikes and I have to blog, I'll be taking a break until after the first of the year. When I get back, we can see if I have come up with a new "word" for 2013 or if I will keep working on SAVOR next year and see what else there is to talk about.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year's! See you in 2013!

God Is a Father to the Fatherless (Psalm 68:5)

Two years ago for Thanksgiving, we drove to my home town to see my dad. He was a few months into a chemo regime that was ultimately not able to return him to health. But at the time, we didn't know how the story would end. We went to spend time with him and so I could be a part of this part of his life. I took him to his appointments so I could see where he spent his days, and so I could be a (very small) part of the care he was receiving from so many people who were driving him to appointments and sitting with him through transfusions and treatments, etc.

Last year was our first Thanksgiving without him. I thought a LOT about how different things could be from one year to the next. It wasn't even the "day" so much as we often didn't travel home or see him on actual holidays. But it was the principle. He was the only parent - the only close family - I had had since I was 19, and he was gone. I felt a lot of support from folks who remembered that it was our first holiday season without him, but I was still lonely.

This year I think I felt the emptiness as much if not more than last year. Maybe last year I was just expecting it. Maybe the other things going on in my life right before the holiday, and the fatigue of a long school year were contributing factors. This year, Thanksgiving was a reminder that we were moving into a very lonely season in the year without Dad. When the phone rang on Thanksgiving Day, before anyone even looked at the caller ID, it was obvious it wasn't going to be for me.

I don't say that to say, "Please call me so I don't feel lonely on the holidays," because, honestly, I think that would make me feel worse. But there's something about losing both of your parents that can make you feel adrift. I felt it this summer as I was anticipating the family reunion, and I felt it from Thanksgiving to New Year's last year. I imagine this year will be much of the same.

I know the ache will lessen as the years go on. I remember how bitter I was about Mother's Day when I was in my 20s - without a mother to celebrate in person, with plenty of conflicted feelings about the mother I had, and without a child of my own to shift the focus. But those feelings resolved in time. And I'm sure these will, too. But they will weigh heavy this year, for at least a few more weeks.

Happy Holidays

Hope you enjoy this holiday season. I'll still be blogging about books during the next couple weeks, but I'll be on a break from this blog until after New Year's. See you again in a couple weeks!

Best Holiday Ever

My favorite holiday of the year is just around the corner - Easter.

I love it. I love that it is all about spring - new beginnings, tulips, sunshine, warmer weather.


I love the treats - Reese's Eggs. Need I say more?

I love the traditions - egg hunts, new clothes, singing Christ the Lord is Risen Today. 


I love the images - the disciples gathered, a thief forgiven, feet washed and bread broken.

I love the spiritual message of resurrection - death defeated, second chances, grace and forgiveness.

Christmas is great, sure. Jesus, coming as a baby. Joy to the World. Sharing gifts. I enjoy it, but for me it pales in comparison to Easter. Sure, if not for Christmas, there would be no Easter, but, Jesus' arrival, while miraculous, doesn't have the same punch as his departure. 

So, what Spring holiday is your favorite? Why?

Spring Holidays

As spring "holidays" go, St. Patrick's Day isn't my favorite. 

As a kid, I always looked forward to a trip to a favorite restaurant for St. Patrick's Day. I enjoyed the best cottage cheese in the world while watching grown ups drink green beer. And they did drawings for prizes and I often went home from one of those celebrations with a new stuffed animal.

Now, though, it seems to be more about remembering to wear green so as to not get pinched. Not much fun as holidays go. 

Come back Saturday to read about the best holiday all year.

Favorite Holiday Memories and Traditions

I have many fond memories of Christmases past...

• Every year as a kid, I got a stuffed animal in my Christmas stocking. I looked forward to that every year. It is a tradition I would love to keep (for me - not for my son - he'd rather have Legos), but I have no where to keep all those stuffed critters.
• When I was young, I would leave a note for Santa on a Snoopy dry erase board and Santa would leave me a note back Christmas morning.
• Many Christmases were spent with my mom's sister and her family in northern Illinois. I don't have specific memories of events, but I remember a general feeling of warmth and happiness and family togethernerss.
• I remember a game I got one year - The Electronic Detective. I remember sitting at the dinner table with my parents playing the game, solving the mystery. I loved that game!
• I remember how Christmas changed when I became a parent. There is something magical about watching a child take in the lights and the holiday decorations and the stories of Jesus' birth.

I hope you make some wonderful holiday memories this year with your family and friends!

My December Birthday

I have a December birthday, and I love it.

Not only is my birthday in December, but it is also in the same week as Christmas. I wouldn't change that for anything. In fact, my father frequently offered to celebrate it in June, instead, but that would not have been the same. I like my birthday in December because the preparations for Christmas make it feel like a special, magical time. A birthday at another part of the year would just sneak up on you. One day it's not your birthday and the next day it is, and then it is over. A December birthday is surrounded by festivities.

There are downsides, of course. My birthday is late enough in the year that I never celebrated my birthday at school. It is easy for it to get lost in the shuffle of holiday plans when people have too many things on their minds already. I was fortunate that my mother also had a December birthday, although hers was between Christmas and New Year's. She knew what it was like to have a birthday during the holiday season, and she went out of her way to make sure my birthday was no less celebrated than it would have been at any other time of year.

So, to all my fellow December birthday folks I say, "Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays!" I hope your special day is filled with the wonder and magic of this season.

Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween again. We do the usual trick-or-treating around here and my son is still young enough to dress up and go out.

How will you be spending your Halloween? Hope you have a safe one!