I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas like we did. Lots of family time, a great Christmas Eve service at IBC, plenty of great food, fun presents given and received, and some time to reflect all made the past week a Christmas to remember. <\/p>\n
John Lennon wrote an interesting song a while back called “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”. I never heard it until I got a Christmas album that included a recording by The King’s Singers. It’s a strange little song, very Lennon-esque – contemplative, anti-war, devoid of any religious content but spiritual in a different way. The main verse simply says: <\/p>\n
And so this is Christmas
\nAnd what have you done?
\nAnother year over
\nA new one just begun<\/p><\/blockquote>\nIt’s more of a New Year’s song than a Christmas one because it focuses on the new beginning that happens this time each year, the promise of a brighter tomorrow. It’s also about looking back on the previous year to see what has changed and where the road has led.<\/p>\n
For me, as I look back on 2008, the most significant development is naturally the arrival of Brenden and all the changes that parenthood has brought us. It is difficult to explain how much a baby changes one’s life to someone who’s never had one. Daily activities such as meals, grocery shopping, dates, sleep, and showers all become more complicated. A profound sense of wonder, responsibility, gratitude, fear, and joy combine whenever I think about him. A tiny toothless grin truly can melt my heart. <\/p>\n
The other significant development is completing our first year as a CARES team. This, too, has been both difficult and rewarding. Difficult because of the time\/effort involved in planning, advertising, shopping for, cooking for, setting up, running, and tearing down each event. There’s always another event on the horizon to prepare for. Rewarding because of the dozens of new friends that we’ve gotten to meet. Some are only acquaintances, but many have become good friends, and we have greatly enjoyed getting to know and serve them.<\/p>\n
What about you? When you look back at 2008, what changes, achievements, problems, or other things jump out as the most significant to you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas like we did. Lots of family time, a great Christmas Eve service at IBC, plenty of great food, fun presents given and received, and some time to reflect all made the … Continue reading