Well, it sure took its sweet time getting here but the Christmas spirit finally showed up at my door Wednesday night.
I’ve been more grumpy than usual lately.
It’s more than the minute by minute reminders of the big blizzard that’s keeping so many families apart, including mine, this year.
I woke up Monday morning with pain in my back that’s made me a pain in the a__ for those around me. It’s hard to be full of good cheer when you’re hurting and look like a question mark when you walk. The title of my last blog said it all, “Bah Humbug.”
But I watched A Christmas Carol last night, with Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame, playing Scrooge. I still love old Ebenezer’s reaction when he awakes after a night of revealing hauntings, to discover that he had been given another chance to stop being such a Scrooge and do right by others on Christmas and all year long.
I also found a couple photographs from my youth that flooded my soul with positive Christmas memories…and, as it turns out, the Christmas spirit too.
My back feels a lot better this morning and soon, the kitchen will have an amazing aroma of holiday ham cooking away in the oven and even though there will be a few empty chairs around the table, I’ll give thanks to God during grace that they’re sheltered from the storm. But most importantly, we’ll all give thanks that on a starry-starry night in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, he chose to reveal Himself through the humble birth of a child named Jesus, who would bring the promise of life everlasting to us all.If that doesn’t lift your spirits I don’t know what will.(above) THAT’S ME ON THE LEFT, MY LITTLE BROTHER, TOM IN THE MIDDLE AND MY FRIEND, DIXON HOBERG ON THE RIGHT. THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE YEAR I GOT MY CHEMISTRY SET FOR CHRISTMAS WHICH WAS TO ME WHAT THAT BB GUN WAS TO RALPHIE IN "A CHRISTMAS STORY"(below) THIS IS A FEW YEARS EARLIER AND THE ONLY CHRISTMAS PHOTO I REMEMBER MY MOM EVER SENDING OUT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THAT COWBOY SHIRT WITH THE FRINGE..JUST LIKE ROY ROGERS. MY DAD HAD THE KIND OF MOUSTACHE I’M TRYING TO GROW EXCEPT HIS WAS BLACK. I’M PRETTY SURE THE JESUS PICTURE, STRATEGICALLY PLACED BETWEEN US WAS NO ACCIDENT.