2010 was probably the best year of my life to date. We accomplished so much, had so many wonderful joys enter our lives, and best of all, continued watching our beautiful Angelica grow. I'll miss you, 2010, but I can't wait to see what 2011 brings!
Thanks to all of you for your support this past year. I have some neat things coming in 2011 so stay tuned!
Have fun and be safe tonight!
In reality she got to have three Christmases. We spent yesterday at my parents' house for Christmas Eve dinner. My sister's family, including her in-laws (who are also like family to us) were there. It was a great afternoon with good food and good company. Angelica got to open gifts from them while we were there and just had a blast! It was amazing to see her so excited.
Today we had our Christmas morning with just the three of us and it was amazing. Angelica had about 20 presents and it took about 15 minutes for her to rip through all of them. Some of the things "Santa" brought were a Dora table and chairs, a Dora storage system for her room, an easel, a Talking Woody (from Toy Story), a collection of Disney Princess dolls, and a rocking horse.
I also have to add here that Scott got me THE most thoughtful gift ever. We have been together for almost 10 years (in March it will be 10) and he spent a day collecting mementos from our first date...like a receipt for a toll fare from a bridge we drove over, sand from a beach we walked on, a bowl that we used at his grandparents house, a ticket stub from the theater we went to, and a menu from the restaurant where we had dinner. Sometimes I forget what a thoughtful man I am married to. The gift cost almost nothing but meant the world to me.
Anyway, after Christmas morning was over, we drove up to his grandparents house and had Christmas dinner together...that entire side of the family was together for the first time in over three years so it was great! Angelica got to tear into more gifts and had a blast with her Aunts Tarah, Shannon and Jennifer, who she rarely gets to see but loves dearly. She ate dinner and then passed out on the couch until Scott's grandma, uncle, and cousins got home, and then she got to tear into more gifts.
Lest I forget to mention, we also went to Christmas Eve services at our church last night and it was great. Though it's a liberal church, it still covered the meaning of Christmas from a child's perspective, having the children act out the shepherds journey to meet baby Jesus. Since it is a church of liberal faith, the service's message focused on the beauty and promise that the miracle of birth brings to us all.
And with that said, if you could all keep our kitty Mindy in your thoughts and prayers we would appreciate it. Yesterday it looked like she would recover, but today the vet called and she is not progressing as well as they would like. She's old and has lived a happy life, but we would love for her to recover and come home.
So as to not end on a sad note, Angelica got both Woody and Jessie and they have been the biggest hit so far, though she genuinely loved everything she got and I'm sure she will rotate favorites (don't they always)? We also got some incredible gifts from our families, but most important was the time we spent together.
Next we have my nephew's 4th birthday to look forward to...can't believe that beautiful baby boy has grown up so fast!
Finally, thanks to all of you who read and comment on this blog! Your support has meant the world to me and I love reading your blogs as well.
Merry Christmas to all!
Some seemed a little bewildered when I told them it was going to make me cry. I was not known in the congregation for being particularly prone to weepiness. So, how did I know I would cry? I got weepy just looking at the pictures on the Internet in preparation for the trip.
Now why this reaction? Why this particular pilgrimage?
It has to do with a summer 45 years earlier when I went with my family to the New York World’s Fair. I was 5 years old. And that ride is just perfect for a 5 year old.
I grew up in a small town in southern New Hampshire. There was no, and I really mean no, ethnic or racial diversity. “It’s a Small World” was a picture for me of a different world. And better yet, the singing dolls from around the world were all happy and getting along.
Yes, the stereotypes and caricatures are a problem. But at age 5 that did not matter.
And at 45 the ride still called to me. I believe that this is because of the timing of my first exposure to it.
Had I been 3 or 8 or 23 or 38 it might not have mattered.
But at 5, it made a lifelong impact on what I expect of the world. I expect the world to be diverse and colorful and I expect people to be able to get along.
Childhood experiences can have a lasting impact.
I shared my 5-year old “Small World” experience as a way of highlighting that childhood experience matters. Each of us can consider how our basic assumptions about the world have been influenced by experiences earlier in life. But we can do more. We can consider the children in our lives and in our world today.
Last week at an event called the Francis David Café, one of the things that we talked about was the gifts we brought with us from our early religious experiences. It was interesting to me that in our small group we had several examples of quite opposite experiences. For instance: One person recalled having examples of people in their religious community living their belief, examples of integrity. Another person recalled seeing the opposite and saw people behaving as hypocrites.
It raises the question: What examples will our children recall when they think back to their experiences here? How will they remember their parents, their teachers, the person sitting beside them in worship, or helping them in the pot luck line. How are their experiences of the world shaping them? What can we do to increase the chances that our children will have experiences that shape their world view for the better? Experiences that will make them stronger, more compassionate, more resilient in the face of all that life will bring their way. I close with an invitation to one last moment of reflection...
...A moment of reflection on how you might help create the opportunity for spirituality in our children. I invite you to think of a child close to you or to the children who are part of this congregation. For the well-being of all children, is the well being of the world.
