Sensical Tour--Part V: TOUCH

"Oh, what a touching scene!"  "You should get in touch with your feminine side. . . "  "We'll leave nothing untouched in our search for answers."   We've burdened the word with heavy expectations, using it in multiple ways with a variety of meanings.  Even though it nearly always seems to appear last in the list of senses, it is clearly deemed a very important sense.  You've probably heard of or read research results that prove how vital the sense of touch is to humans: the severe social, emotional, or mental disabilities that occur in young children who have been deprived of human touch as they develop; the amazing benefits of touch in patients healing from illness or disease.  Can anyone quote the statistics on the number of nerve sensors in the varying parts of the human body?  It's staggering information, further validating how very important the sense of touch truly is. Anyway, for the final leg of this hyper-extended "sensical tour," pique your neural acuity, as I invite you to "get in touch" with the goings-on in our lives.

*****tingly warmth and bubbling relaxation of the "healing waters" found in a variety of natural hot springs in nearby-ish regions is a frequent source of neural splendor for us.  ++Always love the scenic grandeur of the Canadian Rockies, so reveled in two wonderful days soaking in two different hot springs in British Columbia just a few hours north of us after dropping Malina at the train to return to MN from her spring break in March, and as my week off began.  Enjoyed a tasty Japanese lunch in Banff too; and the beautiful, sunshiny day with pure blue skies prompted us to drive further west on a highway we hadn't been on before.  Incredible frozen blue waterfalls across the valley were an awesome and unique sight to behold.   ++In our long weekend in October, we soaked at two more springs in Montana that we hadn't been to before, and another one we've done a couple times before.  White Sulphur Springs in central Montana has super murals of local scenery and nature painted on the walls along the soaking pool and toasty, silky waters.  Aaaahhh!  One of the only two spots you can "swim" in Yellowstone National Park is near the North entrance by Gardiner, MT.  Where the steamy, sulphurous waters of the Boiling River flow out of Mammoth Hot Springs and splash down the rocks mixing together with the icy pure water of the Gardiner River, they create warm, soothing, bubbly comfort.  Our morning soak in this delightful natural spot was a wondrous beginning to our day's trek through Yellowstone and its highlights.  Got to love God's gifts of the sensory wonders and warmth of natural hot springs, and so often amid such scenic marvels!

*****overwhelming, goose-bumpy contentment is the best I can do to describe the parental "feeling" of having all of us home together during the kids' break from college.  Princess has been home since a day before Thanksgiving, and we drove to Bozeman and retrieved the son last weekend.  Both will go back in early January, but I'll will savor the warmth and completeness of familyhood for the few weeks we're all together.  A few favorite meals, a couple movies, and whatever extended-family events we can fit in over Christmas are all the plans we have for now--but even if it's just ordinary life-stuff, the "rightness" of being together is cozy and joyous and "touching."

*****wintry wetness, and fingertip numbness during our church's "live nativity" with Christmas caroling before the town's annual "Night of Lights" Christmas season celebration the first Friday in December.  We've participated in this for several years now, and the beautiful bride and a couple other musicians always play their guitars while whoever else sings all the traditional Christmas songs; kids from church are costumed as Mary and Joseph, shepherds and wisemen, and gathered around a stable; we offer hot cocoa and hand out cards declaring Christ as the "Reason for the Season" to all the passing-by revelers.  Very cool opportunity for witnessing, and a fun tradition.  Weather is always a questionable factor however; this year wasn't terribly cold--just quite wet, with flaky moist snow falling most of the time we were caroling--resulting in some rather soggy songbooks--and even after so many years, we've still found no solution for the frosty fingertips of the guitarists.  Just has become a sacrifice they're willing to endure.  What a festive chance to start the joyous Christmas season off with the proper perspective!

*****more wintry wetness--along with evergreen prickles, uphill out-of-breathness, and the warm, homey contentment of a tasty Mom-made dinner were feelings accompanying our annual Christmas-tree retrieval trip to my parents' mountain ranch.  Bride, princess and I tramped around on the hillside near Dad's house for three or four hours, necks craned upward, scanning the forested landscape, searching for a peek of that ideal conical shape--tall enough but not too tall,  perfect fullness, bright soft greenness--but when we hadn't made a final decision as dark approached, we decided to retrace and chose an "almost" consideration from earlier.  Ended up needing to use the headlights as I bundled it up to tie to the cartop.  Narrower than usual, and perhaps missing a branch or two from some angles--it now looks as grand as ever once we finally got it colorfully illumined and decorously ornamentalized.  And, in fact, we even appreciate the little extra space in our living room that the "narrowness" allows.  And, while the evergreen reminds us of God's eternal love and the eternal life we have from Him, and the lights cause us to remember that our Christmas-born Savior came to be the "Light of the World," the tree is NOT the focal point of Christmas.  All praises to Him who we celebrate in this joyous season!

*****draggy, trance-like mornings, unavoidable afternoon drowsiness, and sleep deprivation-induced headachiness are feelings I've experienced a bit too frequently this past couple weeks; getting to bed at a time that would allow me to feel "well rested" is often too rare of an occurrence and becomes even further demoted in priority when other important tasks, or chances to visit with my college-kids (who happen to operate on a quite inverted sleep schedule while on vacation) are vying for attention.  Creating and composing our Christmas newsletter and photo card was the task that competed for my late-night time this past week, but I did finally complete them to my perhaps a bit perfectionistic standard of acceptability.  Actually sent them via attachments on an email to any of the folks we have e-addresses for.  Always feel a bit guilty when choose this less-personal and non-traditional mode of delivery, but certainly keeps them more timely, and saves a bunch on postage and paper.  Plus, it makes them easier to view/read in most cases, as they appear bigger on the computer screen than when printed on to paper.  So, I ask for forgiveness and post them digitally anyway.  Again, connecting with family and friends is only a secondary benefit of Christmas, and I need to be reminded of that when I start to "fuss" over it so dramatically.  But,  I do so love sharing and connecting with family and friends from across the country and around the world whenever and however I can.  

Well, now that you've gotten "back in touch" with our lives, maybe my "touchy-feely" post has worn itself out; so guess I'll call my "sensical tour" complete, and publish this piece before it gets delayed again.  (Only took  an entire year to finish the series!)   May your life effervesce with "touching" moments and be filled with "feel-good" times.  A very blessed Christmas to you and all your loved ones!