Nativity

     I remember a Christmas when I lived in Louisiana and I was gifted with a beautiful nativity set. It was ceramic and a copy of the one owned by my mother-in-law who was a lovely and generous woman. Hers was painted and vibrant in its colours and detail. I opted for the unpainted white version which has been with me every Christmas since I have been an adult. It has always been my favourite I suppose because we have travelled many miles together over many, many years. As a “cradle Anglican” the Christmas story is not new to me. I do not remember seeing a nativity scene in my family’s home when I was a child however. Since the acquisition of my very own nativity set, they have become a favourite of mine; a way of recognizing the true message of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong; I like the Santas and the snowmen, the carols and the candy canes, the stockings and the snowflakes. It is a wonderful time of year for me and I love it all. However I do find that the nativity reminds us all of the why behind this time of year: the reason for the season, keeping the Christ in Christmas, if you will. 

     I remember that when our eldest was a toddler how important it was to me to find a durable, unbreakable nativity scene that our daughter could play and engage with, and in turn learn the story of the baby Jesus. And I did find one; mostly cloth but simple and colourful and one that she now cherishes and I take great pleasure in displaying every December.

     Our church is doing a display of our parishioners’ nativity scenes. They will be on display during our Christmas Market at the end of the month. I am really looking forward to it and can’t wait to see all the variety and diversity of the many representations of the birth of Jesus over two thousand years ago. This story truly is what Christmas is all about.

Daughters

      We are blessed with two wonderful, smart, caring, considerate daughters. They are adults now but there are still moments when looking at them that I catch a glimpse of the fun and fantastically funny little people they were once upon a time about two decades ago. And as much as I loved our lives when they were fresh on the planet, I also love knowing these two amazing, incredible and kind young women, right here, right now. And I would not change that for anything.
     It never fails to amaze me however, how much we are ourselves our whole life through. And I am astonished at how much we forever look like ourselves as well. The essence of who we are is always there. I can look at my eldest daughter’s hands and still see the little tiny hands that they used to be twenty years ago. And they're still busy, active, hard-working hands. Sometimes my youngest daughter will give a laugh that reminds me of the giggles we heard from her when she was a little girl; she's still mischievous. These young women are the same as they always were but different too; grown up.
     Sometimes I miss those little voices, those tiny hands and small feet. Life seemed simpler then; our problems were easier, the world a bit safer. Our daughters were there with us always and we could hold them. Now they are out in the world every day and it’s harder to protect them, even if we could. 
     Life is that story; the growing up, the moving out, the moving on, the ebb and flow of human existence. And amongst it all is that beautiful crazy lovely funny thing we call parenthood. What a blessing!

 

Dogs

     They say that taking a dog for a walk is like handing a new book to a human being: a fresh world to discover. According to The Washington Post a dog hanging out only in the backyard is like reading the same book, over and over again. With my family away, I have the keys to the library; I am in charge of the reading list! 

     Walking anywhere is good for you and walking a couple of dogs makes it even better. The fact that I am getting our pooches out for a sizeable stroll at least twice a day is making a difference to how I feel physically and mentally. I was expecting the exercise to improve my physical health but did not realize how much it would help me mentally. This time of year is not my favourite; the cold and gray depresses me. My garden is winding down and sunshine is hard to find. But getting out of the house early, the earlier the better, is really making a difference. 

     And it goes without saying: the dogs love it. Now that I know that every walk is a new book, I am challenging myself to take them on a different walk every single time. At this point I can say that I have been successful but of course there will come a day when we will run out of new options. Eventually though the old trails will smell a little differently. And by then I’m hoping that they won’t remember that they’ve already read this one.