I hope this finds all of you well and looking forward to "ringing" in the New Year as your tradition dictates. My New Year's Eve will probably be a quiet one as I am scheduled to play at church Sunday morning. Hooting with the owls all night and crowing with the roosters is not a good thing for someone who's supposed to be instrumental (no pun intended) in leading the worship.
Music seems to have taken it's hold on me all this Christmas vacation. On Friday, December 16, we had our annual Christmas concert and dinner at church. It went well, but I can assure you that I was exhausted after a week of teaching and several rehearsals. Sunday the 18th I was back on "stage" playing at church. I FINALLY had a chance to do some Christmas shopping on the 19th and 21st. I was in an accident on the 21st, though, and didn't get much done until the 23rd. By the way, my car was fine, the skirt on her mini-van was cracked, and I was shaken up a bit. My neck and shoulders are still a little sore since my head was turned at a yield sign waiting from oncoming traffic, when this lady was in "Christmas Dreamland" and gunned her van into me. Perhaps it's a good thing I drive a 1992 Olds Cierra, otherwise known as a tank.
I did get to take a "break" from things and listen to a friend of mine, the music director at my church, play a noontime Christmas concert on December 22. It was wonderful to sit in a church with subdued lighting, the lit Christmas tree and other decorations, and listen to some wonderful Christmas carols.
On Christmas Eve, I played at two of the four services. My family was to attend the earlier children and family service with all of us in attendance, but my brother's children (6 year old niece and 2 1/2 year old nephew) became ill on Firday. My niece running a high temperature and my nephew with a stomach bug. They chose to stay at home and concentrate on trying to make all their family oblgations. Two families aren't enough; they have three family celebrations since my sister-in-law's parents are divorced and remarried. My sister's family, our parent's and I had our traditional (and most of San Antonio) tamales for Christmas Eve dinner after church.
We did go to my brother's house early (try 6:30 AM!!) on Christmas Day to see the kids get their "Santa Claus" and have Christmas breakfast. We adults started a "tradition" several years ago to draw names and be able to buy "nicer" gifts that way, and so we exchanged our gifts. My mother said...AGAIN...that this was a slim Christmas. Yeah, right!!! Being together is what counts anyway, and the number of gifts was certianly not slim. We had our "traditional" breakfast of biscuits, pork loin and gravy, eggs, juice, coffee, etc. My parents and I loaded up at noon, came home, and I took a wonderful FOUR hour Christmas Day nap!
Monday was more exciting than it needed to be. I had a killer headache thanks to mass effects, but we added two family crises to the mix. My sister came down with a severe stomach bug on Sunday and couldn't even get out of bed. My mother ran to her house, and I, headache and all, helped my brother and sister-in-law. Their 2 1/2 year old got a tricycle from my sister-in-law's parents, and while pushing his big sister from behind lost his footing, bounced off of the tricycle and then bounced his face and head off of the concrete sidewalk. His left eye is swollen shut, he has a huge "goose egg" over the eye, cuts and bruises. He and I will now be "twins" because I bounced off the cement when I was 8 and still carry the knot above my left eye. Thankfully, my sister is better, and my nephew doesn't seem to be the worse for wear.
Tuesday I flew to Dallas to see the doctor. I had actually lost weight in the past two months, even including the holidays. That's a plus! He put me on yet another medication. This one will control blood sugar, since my adrenal glands don't seem to know when to shut off the information to the pancreas these days. He's hoping it will aid in my being able to again loose some of the weight that this faulty pituitary gland and lesions have caused me to gain. Everything else stays the same, and he's hoping (as I am too) that I am going to be able to handle the teaching load this spring.
My father came home sick on Tuesday with the same stomach bug, and my oldest nephew came down with it yesterday. I don't like the idea of sharing this Christmas gift. I'm hoping I dont' get it.
Yesterday (Wednesday) I was able to meet "Hopeful" and his wife at a resort near San Antonio. They have now learned that I'm slow to rise when I've been gone all day the day before. (Sorry, "Hopeful.") Anyway, I got there around 2 PM and spent time with them, getting to know them better, having lunch and dinner with them, taking a long walk, and finding out that I might like hot tubs after all.
It was in the mid 70's here, which made it perfect for a day in the nude outdoors. It felt like a "first time experience" all over again because this time i was in a more "intimate" setting, if you will, visitng with them. As I told them, I'm still hooked! It was a blessed day to spend with new friends.
"Hopeful" and his wife also blessed and graced my church on Christmas Eve, coming to one of the services. It was wonderful to be able to greet them afterwards, and I'm happy to report that I believe they were also blessed to have been there. Now someone else knows what I see in this spirit-filled church I'm a member of!!
The rest of this "vacation" will be spent working on a syllabus for each of my classes. I start teaching on January 10, but need to have these done by late next week, so that if there is any problem, we can address it. Each on has to be online, which will prove to be interesting. I play on January 1st at church and then again on Epiphany (January 6th) for an evening vespers service. I also start teaching private lessons again next week. So much for vacation, eh?
My prayer is that each of you discover God's plan for you in this new year and are blessed abundantly by Him, the one who's birth we still celebrate during this Christmas season. May you remember that He is the light of your world, and we are called in any and all circumstances to spread that light to others.
Blessings and Peace!
Nancy
