That's the Japanese greeting for Happy New Year! I finally completed writing all my Christmas cards today, and most of the batch I did today were headed off to friends in Japan, so the words were on my mind. I've written them in hiragana (Japanese phonetic alphabet) several times today in gold ink across the top of our picture greeting cards. We certainly find it touching and encouraging to still receive many cards from Japan even after nearly 18 years since we came home. So, what does the New Year hold for you?
As you may know, New Years is thought of very seriously in Oriental cultures. The last few days of the year are spent in deep cleaning and focused preparation for the fresh new beginning to the New Year. (I wish I had picked up a bit of that "cleaning" idea; I'm afraid that element has been much too neglected in my New Year's preparations.) Here in America we tend not to get too serious about New Years. The idea of a "resolution" may skim across the radar of our psyches, but often not much other attention is given to this piggy-back holiday that stretches out our vacations. It seems that the older I get, the less likely I have become to put much thought into "changes" or "goals" for the New Year. In conversation with my kids yesterday, who keep trying to encourage me to truly pursue my "ideal goal" of being a professional writer, the idea of completing a piece and pursuing publication was put forth as a good New Years' resolution. I somewhat sheepishly had to admit to my daughter that I have had the "I will be a published author this year" resolution more than a few times in years past. And here I am bumping up on mid-to-late-middle-aged, and I still have not been published for pay. I can recite you any number of reasons (excuses?) for not more furtively reaching for this "ideal goal" of mine--but, maybe 2009 is the year for me to let some of that "Oriental thought" rub off and seriously resolve to stretch myself toward these idealistic heights. With my children's encouragement and the success of a friend from college who just sold her second novel spurring me on, I'll see where I reach to. I'll keep you posted.
So, the family is enjoying a mostly-relaxing vacation; most of us. Poor bride has been scheduled to work most of the days that the kids and I have been off from school. I have risen early with her each day to chauffeur her to work, as I see no value in subjecting her to the added stress of dealing with the uncertain winter driving conditions. She was off for a couple days, so we braved the snowy weather and drove to my parents for a bit of family Christmas festivities. Much of my large extended family was there --plus a few extras; a few of my nieces and nephews are of the age where they like to be accompanied by their "special someones." So, we had a feast --(Mom) Grandma's usual and desired menu of meat, potatoes and gravy, fresh homemade bread, salad fixings, etc.-- and did the gifting for those of us who weren't able to be there on Christmas Eve. Traditionally, my family has always "opened" our Christmas stockings on the last day of Christmas, Epiphany on January 6, but this gathering was the "observed occasion" for that tradition as well, since many of the folks wouldn't be around then. Always preceding the passing out of the stockings, one of the younger kids of the family reads the Biblical account of the wisemen coming to visit the child-King Jesus from Matthew, while a couple other little-ones move Grandma's stuffed Nativity figures to match the narration. It's always a very touching scenario--properly focusing our thoughts, educating our "young'uns," placing importance on the truly important matters, and passing on our unique family traditions and sharing them with the "extras." And, it all was a good time.
We had a chance to visit with my two most geographically distant nephews who were home, listening and learning about what all is happening for them. One nephew is a Lance Corporal in the Marines and is scheduled for several months deployment on a boat later in January. He is excited about all the interesting countries he will get to see, but isn't necessarily looking forward to the intense and cramped working conditions on the carrier. We certainly pray God's protective hand on him and his crewmates. Another nephew manages a music store in the deep South and always has interesting stories to tell. Missed seeing two of the nieces who had to return to their jobs earlier in the week, but certainly enjoyed hugs, and snippets of connectivity and conversations, and cups of tea with the other three adult nieces. Good seeing my brother, sisters and spouses as well. Life has a way of not allowing us to meet up often enough. In the end, though --even if it is too brief and too infrequent-- it certainly is wonderful to catch up with each other and be reminded again of God's divine providence for all of us in the precious gift of family.
Son has spent much of his vacation in his usual inverted "natural biorhythm" schedule, going to bed in the early hours of morning and rising for the day not too long before Mom gets home from work after her day-long shift. He reads and researches for hours on the computer, plays his new games --computer and gaming system, reads some from his ever-present, tall stack of books from the county library, and he finished up the last essay for his application to MIT and got all sent before the January 1 deadline. He even drug out some Physics homework one evening as if preparing to finish up some lab write-ups, but was promptly distracted before such task was accomplished. Oh well. . . it is vacation! Lovely, creative daughter usually has been on the computer typing away on one of her many stories for a long while in the morning and early afternoon before her brother is up and about. It seems she usually chooses to satisfy her "movie-appetite" on most evenings, re-watching favorites, or picking and choosing "best scenes" from many to view and possibly sing-along with. I have seen evidence of her late night (after her Mom and I have gone to bed) activities in the charming anime' style illustrations scattered about the living room in the morning. I've gathered that most of the detailed artistic drawings are visualizations of the characters she has created for the stories she is composing. She got her most-wished-for Christmas gift from us: an electric guitar, so she has been exploring with it as well. Her closest cousin taught her a few chords and the opening bars to "Smoke on the Water," so she is working from there. There has been talk for months of starting a girl rock band with her friends. We'll see how far that goes. . . Nonetheless, I do so treasure the raging creativity, unmasked ambition, vivid imagination, artistic perspective and intense focus of my children. Of many young people I know, really--don't you?
I got to have a couple good visits with my 91-year-old Grandma during this Christmas break. It was marvelous, as I am very close to her--spending a lot of one-on-one time with her during my teen years. Again, recent life hasn't allowed long visits with her for years, so it was truly special to spend some extra time with her. Even though the circumstances surrounding our chance to visit were far from fortunate--Grandma was hospitalized the day after Christmas to treat a blood clot in her lung--they were somewhat fortuitous for me and favorable for a good visit. Grandma was in town, not busy, and not going anywhere; I was enjoying lazy, unscheduled vacation days, had just dropped lovely bride at work, my kids were still in bed--there was nothing to distract or limit my time with Grandma. The clot began dissolving rapidly after they began the medicine regiment and Grandma felt much better quite quickly. The staff at the hospital were very personable, cheery, and caring, and Grandma was allowed to return home after less than four days. I still marvel at God's mysterious ways, and how he knew I needed a good dose of "Grandma-therapy" in my life this week, and creatively provided for it. I praise Him for His creativity, but feel somewhat selfish feeling blessed that God provided for me at the loss and inconvenience for many others of Grandma's loved ones. Does this make sense?
Winter has arrived here quite vehemently in the past few weeks. There is maybe about two feet of snow on the flat now, and more is falling as I type. We've had sporadic, but frequent snowfall for several days now, making Christmas and New Years appear very wintry. Earlier in December we had about a week of sub-zero temperatures, but has been in the 20's since about Christmas Eve. It's been a few years since we have had so much winter, so it's a change. We may get our workout this winter shoveling the driveway, although I have a very caring neighbor across the street with a snowblower who has been remarkably generous with his time clearing our driveway, as well as other folks on the street. God provides so much more than we could ever ask or want. Praise Him, again!
Well, have you played the "hangman' game at the top recently? I do a word or two each time I come here. It's always quite entertaining. Another feature about it that I have discovered is that after you have finished --won or lost-- and it shows the mystery word, you can click for a definition and it will take you to a dictionary site entry for that word. Pretty cool if you happen across a word that is new or not quite familiar to you. Lovely bride gave me a handheld electronic Word Game for a Christmas gift, and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing some scramble and boggle type games on it. Fun! Words are truly some of the finer enjoyments in life, don't you think?
Okay--incessant ramblings this evening indeed. Let me bid you "Good Even" and save some topics left undiscussed for future posts. Do be blessed and bask in the glory of God's providence and love for you in this New Year. Happy 2009!
