the christmas road

My grandma sends a devotional email to her family almost every day. Recently she wrote about another christmas memory:

Merry Christmas, dear family. We had a little coating of snow last night. Reminds me of years ago when snow was always expected and accepted at Christmas. Dad and Ed Hybbert would plow roads thru the fields where the snow wasn't so deep in order that we could worship on Christmas at Immanuel. Think of all the fences they had to cut and then repair later.

Just picture that! New roads just for Christmas! Plowed through farm fields three miles away.

I love the community picture this paints, neighbors working together all going to a white steeple church in Southern Minnesota to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Weather didn't stop them...they busted up fences on the way. What a glorious example they were to their children, getting them to church, raising them in the faith, believing with might that God is indeed with us.

Haste! Haste! To bring him praise!
The babe, the son of Mary.

Unto us a child is born!

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. -John 1:1-5

Merry Christmas everyone!

plan b...or c...or maybe even d....

Rory and I had planned to take off for Minnesota tonight. But then the forecast came for this ice storm and we decided that we should head out on Tuesday afternoon to get home before the roads turned too icy. So on Monday night I ran around to 9 different errand places: stores, bank, oil change etc... and began to wrap presents in haste. But then in the middle of the night I got the same flu Rory had on Saturday. I always want to explain how awful the flu was, in need of validation of how violent this bug was...and how I slept part of the night on the bathroom floor because it was convenient, and because the bathroom tiles were so nice and cold on my cheek. Just know that I was sick. Very sick.

Yesterday came and went, and even today I still have some lingering symptoms of this illness. And now, the ice has come and the world outside is stunning with frosty trees and a pretty shine on everything.

But I don't think we're going to be making the trip to Minnesota yet. I just don't feel good enough to hop in the car. And believe me, this is saying A LOT considering Minnesota = Christmas + family + everything-that-is-good-and-right-with-the-world.

So we're trying to seize this funny situation. I have a feeling we will be hanging out in our apartment until this storm clears and the roads are safe (Friday?). I would love to say that I have grand plans of cooking a full Christmas meal for just the two of us, but so far my diet consists of saltines and 7 up and applesauce. So Rory is going to walk to the grocery store and get the ingredients for a homemade chicken noodle soup that I have been wanting to make. And that will be fabulous.

the nativity story

This season we have watched Rudolph, Elf, The Grinch, The Holiday, Charlie Brown, and we've got many more Christmas classics tivo'd. But my favorite movie for the season is The Nativity Story. If you haven't seen this before, be sure to rent it and find a quiet afternoon, a nice cup of something hot, wrap yourself in a comforter and snuggle up for peace, calm and beauty. The movie moves slowly, but is stunning in biblical storytelling and character development. The Shepherds get me to tears every time. And then our Savior is born. It is beautiful.

I remember when Rory and I lived in Montana, we went the nursing home I was working at on Christmas Day. It was a different Christmas Day than we were used to since we were not in Minnesota. But that day we found a unique community when we gathered all of the residents who had not been picked up by any family for the day. I brought Christmas cookies and we reminisced and then watched The Nativity Story together. And somehow it felt exactly how Christmas should be celebrated...with lonely old friends together in sweet community, dwelling on the birth of our baby God, come to save the world.

thoughtful and kind

My grandma Bredberg's christmas card came today. It was a beautiful watercolor that she drew herself. And inside was this note. I just thought it summed up her thoughtfulness and generosity well. The Jago's adopted from Ghana a year ago, so their share of the money went to that orphanage. Pretty cool, grandma. And like Larry the Cucumber says, "Everybody needs a waterbuffalo. Some are fast and some are slow."