Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas is an important tradition in my family, from the spiritual focus of the holy event celebrated by Christians around the world to the family traditions of gathering together in loving, piece, joy, and sharing.

Both Mom and Dad had important memories of Christmas in their family and we brought it into our family, too.  As a child, I remember having Caroling parties at my home for my friends, the awe inspiring activities in the church, especially the midnight services, the Christmas tree, and, above all, the sense of togetherness and love.

Tied closely to the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas follows the longest night in the year.  In cold climates, under clear conditions (different from what would have been experienced in Bethlehem at the actual birth of Jesus Christ) the stars appear closer to the earth and there is a stillness and peace that we can be aware of.  It's cold outside and we appreciate the warmth of being together in front of a blazing fire in a hearth.

Our modern society seems to move at an ever increasing pace, with Internet and social networks abounding.  At the same time, these powerful connections between people and, for those with faith, in terms of Spirit, make our world and our lives a richer place.

I am a follower of Christ and find Him in my heart--every day and especially today. 

I love the traditions of Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus) and appreciate the good that flows abundantly in all sorts of ways as people are inspired by the Christmas Spirit.

Christmas is a good time to reflect and to give thanks for all the blessings we experience on a daily basis.  I am certainly thankful and look at all of the Christmases I have experienced so far as a series of blessings in my life.

I feel especially blessed to be able to share it with family and friends.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve with Friends and Family

It's Christmas Eve--a day for connecting with friends and family.  I needed to contact four friends to ask them for help over the holidays.  I actually connected "live and in person" with three of the four and left a voicemail message for the fourth friend.  I haven't spoken to these friends in several months and it was great to connect with them on the day before Christmas.

My cousins who live in Wheaton, IL, had a family dinner for Christmas Eve at their home.  Another cousin who lives near Milwaukee decided not to brave the weather, so there were just five of us around the family room and, later, the dinner table.

We have a tradition established many times over the past 17 years.  We get together on Christmas Eve, have a potluck dinner, and enjoy each other's company.  There is also a gift exchange based on each person's comfort level in giving gifts.  We often have games and this year my cousin left a challenging question at everyone's place.  Each question was different.  One was "what traditions did you have surrounding Christmas as a child?"

My mother turned 95 on Friday, 12/18/2009.  She came to the family dinner and enjoyed it--though now she is home in bed, sleeping.  We have modified our games somewhat and are learning lessons about aging from our parents and from each other (the same generation of cousins).

While we are not in the days of Norman Rockwell, we do have established traditions for Christmas which really add value to our lives.

Merry Christmas, everyone!! :-)

Families Keeping Up with the Speed of Technology

Today my 83-year-old cousin and his wife visited my 94-year-old mother in her retirement complex outside of Chicago.  Mom lives in a gated community and my cousin had not been in this area for more than seven years.  We spoke cell-phone to cell-phone to "guide them in" to the parking lot and up the stairs to Mom's apartment.  

They brought with them a scrapbook of my cousin-in-law's artwork spanning a 30-year career.  During our time together we spoke of an unpublished children's book that my cousin-in-law wrote and illustrated.  I am a registered electronic publisher even though I'm not presently publishing books.  They told me that they still have an electronic version of the book that we can probably bring up-to-date with technology, then submit for electronic publishing.  It would be great to give the public access to a book that has been waiting for publication for more than 20 years.

When they left to drive to their home several hours away, they left an important piece of paper that had been in the scrapbook.  Within 30 minutes of their leaving--long before they will have realized that the piece of paper had been left behind--I had scanned the paper and sent it off to them via e-mail, including links to several of the things we had talked about during the visit.

They'll get the e-mail when they get home, have the links to follow-up on our conversation, and can print a new copy of the important paper before they miss a beat.

The good news is that my 83-year-old cousin is active on e-mail and is staying up with all the technology.  That certainly makes communication at the speed of technology much more achievable.

Facebook is the social networking site used by many of my family members.  It's another way for us to keep in touch.