Pull up a chair! Have a little laugh – It’s on us, friend!
As clearly and thoroughly elaborated in THIS ARTICLE, I require an EXCESSIVE amount of time this holiday season skiing and soaking in a hot tub.
However, given that some of you in the fifty-three countries1 who read this drivel (no-STUFF!) can barely function without my constant wisdom flooding your inbox, I will be posting some of our Christmas/ New Year’s letters from past years here to help you through this season with adequate wisdom and insight to complete the bare minimum of your holiday activities.
Even for the most hardened of hearts, a brush with hope in an unopened present makes the soil of our hearts ready for the seed.
And what happens when we open the box and find nothing inside? We turn it over and examine it from another angle. Did we miss something? We take the box apart before finally setting it aside.
In fact, upon careful reflection after this event, at least one person was mad at another almost the entire time! (But not me! I was only mad twice during that whole time! And I was only involved in one of the fights over which Christmas tree to get!)
Other than that (I.e., THEM), we had a wonderful family time!
Reflecting on this experience made me realize that getting a Christmas tree was like a mini microcosm that reflected our entire year2.
And so, why is the gift of Christmas sorrow and joy (basically) the same thing? Because we are little bundles of joy and sadness all mixed up together. Both are inside the package of “us” at any one time, if we know where to look.
I’ll illustrate with another example that happened again when we were decorating our tree this morning.
When I was about to hang up the Christmas ornament that reminded me of my dad, who passed away a few years ago, I blurted in uncharacteristic honesty, “You know, I’m sometimes still mad at my dad for dying!” My kids looked at me with their wide, astonished eyes, their Christmas tree ornaments held in mid-air, candy canes about to fall out of their mouths, wondering (with a bit of trepidation, perhaps?) what would come out of my mouth next. But my husband knew that I just needed a hug and a little cry.
And then I was fine again and joined in our after-we-put-up-the Christmas-tree family dance.
So may our lopsided tree, with a few sparse spots, remind us that the journey to finding Christmas hope isn’t always as straightforward as we would like it to be.
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
1 Check out his ridiculously snow-packed paws! He was busy digging up the tree to contribute in his unique way, too! (Like when he barfed that OTHER TIME.)
2 For a COMPLETE, in-depth summary of our year, read more HERE.
I was spinning in circles, putting up a decoration on the tree with one revolution, beating back my dog in the daily effort of chaos management, who was sneaking licks of the Christmas pudding, again, trying to find my worst, ugliest Christmas sweater in time for the curling party, while still spinning the plates that keep our lives circling round and round – food prep, clean up, laundry, and then the alarm rang in the early hours of the winter dark to do it all again.
Pull up a chair and laugh WITH (Wait – AT?!) us, friend!
As clearly and thoroughly elaborated in THIS ARTICLE, I require an EXCESSIVE amount of time this holiday season skiing and soaking in a hot tub.
However, given that some of you in the over fifty countries1 who read this drivel (no-STUFF!) can barely function without my constant wisdom flooding your inbox, I will be posting some of our previous Christmas letters here to help you through this season with adequate wisdom and insight to complete the bare minimum of your Christmas activities.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
We enjoy publishing a letter and sending it to all our friends and family for the Holidays.
This is where we update you on our family and share some insightful sayings that our family members shared this year to encourage you! And so, “What happened this year?” You ask? I’m glad you asked!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Well, our youngest child decided to leave home a year earlier than anticipated.
She’s planning to move out this summer, which sent me into a (SLIGHT!) identity spiral:
Luckily, I have been researching starting another Master’s Degree (I’m smarter than I let on) or a certificate, or additional schooling of some sort, to try to claw my way into some sort of cultural significance. (Or should I get more counselling instead to work on the neuroses that drive me? Well, I guess we’ll see whether a year of schooling or a year of therapy is cheaper.)
So, yes, given my new plans, as described above, for when all the kids move out, everything is great!
Now that we’ve got all that sappy and annoying “real” stuff out of the way, not much has really changed around here.
We putter around a bit. Our kids putter around a bit, do their homeschooling, and then they move out and leave us, one after the other. (That’s FINE! Who cares?). Our animals, a dog and a rabbit, putter around a bit, too, as usual.
That’s about it.
Anyway, without further ado, here are some quotes family members said last year. May you have a good laugh (At our expense?! – WAIT! IF you laugh, EVEN ONCE, MAKE SURE you send us some of the stupid stuff YOU said so we can laugh at you, too!)
Andy to me: “Yes! I DO want you to come to the hockey game with me! Why? Because I’ll have more fun if you’re there! Everything is better with you. You’re like whipped cream.”
Did I mention that we are celebrating twenty-five years of marriage this year? If you’re marriage is on the rocks, copy and paste what Andy said here to your wife! More marriage advice HERE and HERE and below!
Kyah, as she was about to do math – “Oh wait. I have to get my headset so I can listen to classical music so I won’t cry.”
Me to a young man from our church, “You’re a good boy.”
Kyah: “Mom! Why do you talk to him like that! That’s the same way you talk to the dog!”
Young man: “She’s trying to embarrass me, but she ends up embarrassing herself.”
Me: (!)
THE POINT is that not much seems to change with me, either, despite my pouring money into (obviously useless) therapy! However, more articles on how to excel relationally and even to have fun with others can be found HERE and HERE!
Significant changes in our home INCLUDE that our predator (dog) and prey (bunny) ARE changing!
A LOT!
Andy to me: “You are like Cesar Millan. You ARE the dog whisperer.” The dog was peacefully lying at my feet during supper2.
Then Andy said, “I NEVER thought I would say THAT about YOU!”
Me, thinking: “WHY did he have to say that last line?”
However, we can now leave our dog and bunny alone together – unattended! Actually, our bunny gently (but manipulatively) nibbled at the dog’s toes once. Our dog is so sweet and good-natured that the bunny now terrifies the dog when she jumps around the house, asserting her dominance.
(I’m sure there’s some great marriage advice in there somewhere, but I’ll need some careful reflection time to extract it from this life situation. So I may require a lot of time for skiing, relaxing in the hot tub, etc., during this Christmas break. However stay tuned and expectantly anticipate more helpful relationship advice this coming year!)
Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
(Spoiler Alert: Because you’re wrong! Three times!) You’re welcome! Good luck!
He was hilarious, the way he screwed up his lips and tried oh so carefully to hit the correct BASS and not TENOR note at the community harmony choir last night.
He had a neck tattoo and otherwise was a teensy bit “tough” or “scary looking.”
But he was singing his heart out about a snowflake in winter, and his concentration, bent over the songbook, made him oblivious to those around him, who were staring at him.
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
And to be clear, when I say he was “scary looking,” I mean he was to OTHERS! I NEVER assume to know someone’s heart by their EXTERIORS! PLEASE!
However, the comedian we watched the previous night, Shayne Smith, also had neck tattoos and complained that people judged him because of this. “People always assume I was in a gang!” he ranted. Well, he WAS in a gang for a while, we learned later that night, but what was THE POINT?
For example, we once had some youth over for dinner. The youth looked at our wedding photograph taken twenty-five years ago and scratched their heads asking, “Who in the WORLD are those people in the photo?”
Obviously, it’s us!
Obviously, we look EXACTLY like we did back then! Everyone knows that! Or maybe everyone doesn’t know that.
People mislead themselves all day long . . . We dupe ourselves in order to deceive others, creating social advantage.1
And so you may not be EXACTLY who you think you are, either.
And if we’re wrong about others and even wrong about ourselves (I, at least, can admit to being wrong about myself ONCE, for example), maybe we’re wrong about God too.
Maybe God is not a mean ogre in the sky, waiting to zap you for your misdemeanors.
Maybe Jesus got off his throne in heaven and suffered pain and rejection on earth to have a shot at wooing you. Perhaps his body and his heart broke and are breaking for your return love of Him. Maybe every thought you have about God that is tied up neatly with a bow is wrong.
And so why give Jesus another chance this season?
Well, the answer to that question is obvious!
(1) You were wrong about others,
(2) You’re wrong about yourself,
THEREFORE
(3) You’re probably wrong about Jesus, too, if you’re honest!
The prayer that precedes all other prayer is, may the real me meet the real you
As the song below sings, “come to Me all you weary,” consider asking Jesus what you may believe about Him that isn’t, in fact, true. And may Holy Spirit help you to “lay down your head,” so He can “give you rest” as you “leave your cares,” this season, friend. God, help us to hear Your whispers of truth about ourselves, others and You, we pray.
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
Sometimes, we can use the experience of entering the Craft Fair to allow others to elevate us to such a lofty level that we can look down on the “Losers” in our category! And then we can feel better about ourselves! (In my case, there weren’t any “Losers” in one of my categories as I was the only contestant who entered that category3, but THAT didn’t stop ME from looking down on strangers who walked past me at the Craft Fair! I had a ribbon – TWO ribbons! “Did they?” I asked them silently with my eyes, as I puffed up my chest a bit to make sure my ribbons were on display.)
There are many ways to increase our fragile self-esteem by (humbly, of course!) looking down on others.
2.Refuse to listen when people “Judge” you at the Craft Fair or in life!
For example, I felt my blood pressure rise to the level my therapist says will kill me if I don’t learn a “Successful Coping Strategy” (Whatever that means). When I got home, I had a fit, which my poor daughter was around to witness, where I complained loudly about the Judges who are not fair to contestants like me! The reason I was so upset was that my competitor’s (i.e., the enemy’s) oatmeal cookie submission won second place.
However, my dessert won third place, simply because I didn’t add any sugar to my baking submission.
People who VALUE the fact that I didn’t dump cups of poison onto the food to satisfy judges with unreasonably sweet tastes (called a Bliss Point which varies by culture) WOULD have at least considered that FOR A DESSERT WITHOUT SUGAR, it was pretty good!
“Why do I let other people judge my dessert, my cookies, or my life?” I wondered in a frenzy of frustration.
Yes! Why do you? I sensed the Spirit of God confirm to my heart.
Why, child?
He was pleading with me.
And just like that, I was convicted of being a bit of a nutcase again. NOT a nutcase in that I am DIFFERENT from others, but a nutcase in that I am the SAME as others. Why, too, do you let others judge your cookies, or your life, friend?
To bring your car, ego and life into realignment, consider reading stuff like THIS.
And I hope that your nutcase-ness is exposed a little bit, too, so that God can gently remove a bit more of the cultural rot from your heart, too, friend!
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
1 Fall Craft Fair, actually, but I don’t want you to know that I forgot about this crumpled-up page of writing that I found in a crevice of my bag this week, because in the fall (of course!) I was too busy swimming in the local lake and now (of course!) it’s ski season AND I just bought a fat tire bike so I can ride on the snow! (Meaning I’m BUSY PEOPLE! PLEASE!)
3 Yes, I DID win SECOND place in a category had only ONE contestant (me) due to “Quality Concerns” or some nonsense like that! Whatever! Reread Point #2.
Why not feast since all that food is waiting for you, friend?
I will begin this article by briefly summarizing three key points from a previous article.
I’m doing this because this article isn’t quite long enough, so I’m repeating myself so that my articles are all about the same length, so I look like a professional online writer.
But I’m not supposed to tell you that because that is boring, but other stuff I say is boring too, and you still read that! (Perfect. This article is precisely the right length).
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
Ahem . . .
In a previous article, I provided three reasons to suggest that we may be consuming spiritual cotton candy when we thought we were at a spiritual feast.
Three indicators that we may be consuming spiritual junk food are:
1. You’ve been to a church once and were decidedly underwhelmed.
2. You know a Christian, but that person, Ned Flanders, is challenging to be around for long. (I GET it!)1
So, where do we go to have the best chance of finding healthy spiritual food?
1. Ask where Holy Spirit is moving in your city. After they faint because you asked that question (C’mon! Shocking people is fun!), bring some popcorn and check out that church next week. Listen for God while you’re there.
2. Find a “real” Christian. How can you tell if someone is a “real” Christian? It is impossible to determine for sure.
Christian behavior can be put on like a mask… Spectators… will often break into applause. But there is no applause in heaven.…
If you don’t have spiritual teeth yet to enjoy chewing this food, don’t fret, but try drinking this milk instead. But don’t ask for milk the way my daughter did here. That isn’t nice.
Got time for a drink, friend? (No! NOT THAT kind of a drink!)
She was running, wiping her brow, sweat dripping as she ran.
(I didn’t say life was always pretty.)
She grabbed another drink of water from the paper cup held out to her and dropped half of it on her shirt as she gulped the rest, crumpling and then tossing the paper cup.
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
“They’ll have to clean that up later,” she thought.
She could see another racer just ahead of her, and if she could ONLY go a little faster. She wondered if the other racer might sprain an ankle or fall, or . . . “Then I would be in luck!” she thought.
A crowd of racers surged past her in a blur, the rhythmic pounding of their shoes on the pavement the background noise to her thoughts.
When the crowd had passed, she stooped to pick up one of the paper cups, two. When had she become too busy to help clean up the mess she had trampled and even contributed to? Where was this race taking her?
Can’t you be satisfied to drink from the clear stream without muddying the water with your feet? Why do the rest of my sheep have to make do with grass that’s trampled down and water that’s been muddied?
She put her arm around the volunteer who had come to help those racers in need, the one who had noticed that she needed a more extended rest. She limped, her arm draped over the volunteer’s shoulders, to the aid station. They poked her with monitors and gave her a blanket to warm her and then left her alone.
It was time for me to rest, but how could I do that?
I needed to exit the race for a bit, to limp to the side and to check out my map. Just because everyone else was running in this direction, did that mean that I should too? What was the map of my heart saying?
I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me . . . I’ll . . . give you a long drink . . .
And then she drank and drank and drank. And roots grew from her feet, deep, deep roots so that she could take a drink more often as she ran the race of life. Water was always at her feet, if only she could remember to drink.
How about you?
And so, what can we do to endure life’s race and not only survive but thrive?
Wait. Simply being in His Presence will strengthen your soul as you learn to drink His living water.
Got time to put aside the race and the running and the keeping up and discover what your heart may be whispering?
As the song below sings, “there is a peace to settle your soul.” Consider asking Jesus which path to follow to take one step toward this peace. What hint do you sense in your soul? God, help us to hear your call (that our emotions sometimes chime) to stop, to reassess, and to drink, we pray.
Restoring Life 