For my twenty-seventh installment of my ‘Thirty Days of Thankfulness‘ series and the final (fourth) Sunday, I will focus on the season of Advent.
“Advent is a period of spiritual preparation in which many Christians make themselves ready for the coming, or birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. During this time, Christians observe a season of prayer, fasting and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope and joy. Many Christians celebrate Advent not only by thanking God for Christ’s first coming to Earth as a baby, but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit, and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of time.” All About Advent, About.com
Being raised a Methodist, I remember with fondness the anticipation of lighting each successive candle in the Advent Wreath on each Sunday leading up to Christmas eve, when the final white Christ candle shone bright with love and hope. I even celebrated advent at home with my husband and children for a couple of years, but being empty nesters now, it’s harder to motivate myself.
For this first week of Advent 2011, I will share excerpts from the ‘2011 Advent Home Worship‘ by MaryJane Pierce Norton:
Hope
Advent is a time of waiting and of hoping. We wait for the day when we celebrate again the birth of Jesus. We hope that everyone will come to know God and to worship God.
God promised to send a Savior to the people. When we read the Scripture reading, we hear what the prophet Isaiah wrote about God. God is the potter who molds us. We know that the gospel witness is one that helps us understand that God is loving and just. God brings peace. This gives us hope. We anticipate again the birth of the baby Jesus remembering that Jesus helps us know God’s love for us.
Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Think about a potter. A potter takes clay and forms it in a way that is pleasing. That is what God is able to do with each person. We are reminded that we are all the work of God’s hand. How do we use these gifts that God has formed in us?
Dear God: Thank you for your son, Jesus. Thank you for the words of the Prophet Isaiah that remind us that you are the source of our hope. Help us to live each day allowing you to form us in a way that brings about your kingdom here on earth. AMEN.
* * *
The Advent Home Worship also provides daily meditations and actions to take to convey hope to others. For example, today’s item:
Tuesday, November 29, 2011: Is there someone you know who needs to hear words of hope? Make or select a card for that person and mail it today.
And so I’ve reached the penultimate day in my ‘Thirty Days of Thankfulness‘ series. No, it’s not the final day, since this marks the twenty-fourth posting with six more to go, but it is the traditional holiday date to give thanks for all my countless blessings.
I’m extremely thankful that I didn’t actually have to roast a turkey. Thanks to a friend of my daughter’s, we had an exquisitely smoked turkey as well as a marvelous spiral cut ham to go with our many traditional side dishes. We did somehow manage to leave the cranberry sauce in Denton but no one is pointing fingers as to who rushed who out of the apartment. He did make an excellent gravy.
We’ve just cracked into the pies. The sticky buns batch I made this morning disappeared within a few minutes of coming out of the oven, so the pies are all that’s left to fill in whatever gaps might be left in our stomachs.
Rachelle and Terry seated at Derek's Transformer-like Table
We had some lively dinner discussion topics around my son’s interesting dining room table. Their apartment’s kitchen is a vast improvement over the one they had at the other apartment. The chairs are very comfortable and we enjoyed the food and the debates with equal relish. Some of us have drifted off into a food coma, others watched a movie, or played video games or, in my case, snuck off to write this quick blog post to recap the highlight of my November for the last three years. The long drive to North Texas from Northeastern Kansas is well worth the backaches and road hypnosis to spend a few precious days with my kids. No matter how connected we may think we are thanks to the Internet, or technology, or cell phones, or tex messages, it just can’t beat the up-close and personal reach-out-and-hug-your-loved one kind of experience.
This may be our final North Texas Thanksgiving gathering with both kids attending. It will all depend on Rachelle’s graduate school auditions and selection process. Next year, I may have to decide between a Colorado or Chicago Thanksgiving with Rachelle or returning to North Texas to visit Derek and Royna.
But I won’t dwell on a situation that doesn’t yet exist and may not be an issue as I just remembered that we will be in Texas next November no matter what for the inaugural Formula One race to be held at the Circuit of the Americas scheduled to occur just four days after my husband’s birthday.
Today, I’m just thankful to be here with my kids, their significant others and my husband, all together under one roof. If only Roxy and Apollo could be here as well, then my life would be complete.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and friends.
Two weeks and last year since I sat down to compose an entry. Half my offspring have come and gone (north then south) mysteriously in the night. Said goodbye to one of the best years of my life with some trepidation, concerned that 2011 can’t possibly exceed it.
After trimming the tree on Thursday the 23rd, I spent nearly all of Friday the 24th (Christmas Eve) preparing a family tradition — giving the gift of sticky buns to various friends. I, of course, modify the recipe a bit (see previous link) and don’t bake them. Rather, Rachelle and I deliver them with instructions on how to refrigerate, thaw, rise and bake them so our friends can enjoy hot out of the oven buns in all their sticky sweet goodness.
I asked, but did not insist, if anyone wanted to attend Christmas Eve services. My inquiry met with less enthusiasm than I’d hope, so we spent the evening watching DVDs from Netflix (the Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Price of Persia). Oddly, we did not and have not yet watched the Muppet Christmas Carol, a Moss Family tradition going back a decade or more. Perhaps Rachelle, Terry and I will watch it this evening.
Christmas morning, I took my time waking, since I knew my main courses for Christmas dinner (scheduled for one o’clock) wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to bake). Rachelle was next to awaken and by eleven o’clock couldn’t contain herself and insisted that grandpa arrive early (since I refused to let her distribute gifts until he arrived). Once grandpa arrived, with his delicious pasta cucumber salad, Royna played Santa with Rachelle as her elf-like assistant.
The Christmas dinner menu consisted of a fresh green salad with my home made dressing (an off shoot of the dressing grandpa uses for his pasta salad), said pasta salad, a boneless turkey breast, a spiral cut ham, mashed potatoes (because Terry and I forgot to bake the potatoes), green bean casserole and fresh hot sticky buns for pseudo-dessert.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, conversing and even played a game of Catchphrase. Grandpa returned home, everyone took a nap and I read a book (no surprise there).
The strangest and saddest event was Derek and Royna’s sudden departure around 9:00 p.m. that evening. They had carpooled with friends from Texas the previous Sunday and now they wanted to hit the road back south – overnight! The catch was Derek and Royna needed a ride to the UMKC campus (just a couple of blocks southeast of where I work five days a week in the Plaza Library building near the Country Club Plaza). I agreed to transport them and they quickly packed. Being a mother, I was concerned about an overnight return trip to Dallas and insisted that Derek text message me at 6:00 a.m. so I wouldn’t worry. Their return trip was uneventful, he rememered to text me and Derek and Royna were safely home by 7:00 a.m.
Sunday the 26th, I filled up both Pontiacs and saved a dollar per gallon because I had earned over one thousand points at Dillons during the month of December. I knew I’d be driving to work four days this week since my vanpool was on hiatus between Christmas and New Year’s Day (Hallmark closes during that week). I don’t miss having to drive in traffic or fight for a parking space (at least the one I want to get) even though I arrive at work very early.
Monday and Tuesday swept by boringly but Wednesday brought a visit from Terry’s sister Bonnie. She came to visit after dropping her daughter Katie off to visit friends. We enjoyed her visit, and dinner at Famous Dave’s at the Legends. Terry and Rachelle also met her the next day for lunch at Azul Tequila in Lansing. Bonnie retrieved her daughter Thursday afternoon for the return trip home to the Cheney area.
Thursday evening, Terry, Rachelle and I caught a showing of the True Grit remake starring Jeff Bridges at Rooster Cogburn and Matt Damon as Texas Ranger Leboeuf and Barry Pepper and Lucky Ned Pepper. Hailee Stanfeld gave an outstanding performance as Mattie Ross. I highly recommend this movie, even though I’m not entirely sure it’s better than the original. Watch either or both … you can’t keep a good story down.
Friday, New Year’s Eve, arrived. The final day of twenty ten. The only day that last week of the year I didn’t have to drive to Misery (er, Missouri) to work. Rachelle intended to spend the evening with friends. Terry and I thought about finding something at a local bar to participate in, but nothing appealed. So, Terry invited Sean over and I took the dogs upstairs to relax, read and perhaps play a few hours with friends on Aardwolf, an old-fashioned text-based MUD. Not surprisingly, I fell asleep shortly after ten o’clock, only to be startled awake by the boom of fireworks, dogs barking and my daughter text messaging. I eventually returned to my dreams.
Early morning, New Year’s Day, twenty eleven, I’m startled awake, again, by the sound of hail stones dancing on my roof. Did I just sleep through three months of winter and arrive to a Kansas spring thunderstorm?
Spent most of the morning reading a book, playing more Aardwolf and waiting for Rachelle to return home. Later in the afternoon, Terry, Rachelle and I travelled to the Legends (twice in as many days) to watch the latest Narnia flick: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We had to watch it in 3D (and pay a premium matinee ticket price for the privilege) but the movie was excellently rendered. Again, you can’t keep a good story down.
Today, the second of January, two thousand and eleven, dawns crisply cold and clear. I’m castigating myself for not dragging out the telescope to view Mercury and Venus this morning. I’ve taken too long to write this blog post and missed the opportunity. I spy a gleam of dawn to the east.
Have I resolved to change or achieve anything new as the year starts fresh? Perhaps. I have a few ideas that I’m still brewing and stewing about; just not ready to codify them publicly via this blog.
I’ll leave you with this thought for the day: various translations of Psalm 90:12
Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom. (NLT)
Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise. (NCV)
Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! (MSG)
Peace and may all your years, new and old, be happy!
Another Tuesday is upon me and I survived the Holidays … barely. Last week, in my A Trivial Holiday post, I shared seven mid-winter holiday themed trivia questions, courtesy of Ken Jenning‘s weekly Tuesday Trivia e-mail service.
And now, the answers you’ve all been waiting for:
1. How many tiny reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh, in the poem that begins “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”? Eight tiny reindeer–Rudolph was a later addition.
2. What sitcom featured a character with the very festive full name of “Christmas Noelle Snow”? Chrissy Snow, Suzanne Somers’s character on Three’s Company, was saddled with that wintry nightmare of a name, for which at least three different explanations were given on the show.
3. Which of the three traditional gifts brought by the three wise men has the highest market value today? Frankincense and myrrh, being nothing but tree sap with vaguely aromatic/medicinal properties, retail for just a few dollars an ounce. Gold is about a hundred times more valuable.
4. Rod Carew was a Minnesota Twin, but who are the only *real* twins name-checked in Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song”? Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby. (Harrison Ford’s a quarter Jewish–not too shabby!)
5. Most commercial Advent calendars begin on what date? The actual dates of Advent move around, since the period officially begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, but the eponymous calendars typically just start on December 1.
6. “Christmas disease” is another name for the ‘B’ type of what disease, most famously suffered by Alexei Romanov? Hemophilia B was named for Stephen Christmas, the first patient in which it was identified.
7. What unusual distinction is held by these countries in this order, and no others? Spain, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia. These are the (modern-day) sources of the four “ethnic” dances in the second act of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker: a Spanish dance, an Arabian dance, a Chinese dance, and a Russian dance. When I first came up with this question, I thought there were a few more countries on this list, but it turns out the list just SEEMED longer when I took my four-ear-old daughter to The Nutcracker a couple weeks ago.
If you’d like to see this week’s questions, submit a comment replying to this post and I’ll see what I can do.
Probably rates a 3.5, but like Connie Willis, I love Christmas and singing in very large choirs. Combining the two, especially with Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, is priceless.
And as Aunt Judith and the Altairi reminds us: ‘A prompt handwritten note expressing gratitude is the only proper form of thanks.’ I’ll be posting those notes to friends and family today.
Highly recommended, especially during this joyous season, bearing tidings of comfort and joy to all.
Ten days and over a thousand miles ago (1,313 miles or thereabouts, but who’s counting?), Terry and I survived a weekend of single digit temperatures and 35 mph north wind gusts without a working furnace. We kept our home a toasty 70 degrees with two oil heaters and two inexpensive fan space heaters, even in the aforementioned frigid weather conditions.
Tuesday, 14 December 2010: Mark Moody, life-long friend of Terry from the Wichita area, and his assistant, Kenneth, arrived with our shiny new 96% efficient furnace and four ton air conditioning unit. In record time (and I mean record), Mark and Kenneth installed both units and by the time I arrived home from work on Wednesday evening, I had a warm toasty house.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010:
"After"
Texas Visitor's Center near Gainesville
Thursday, 16 December 2010: Only about twelve hours after thanking Mark and sending him home to Wichita, Terry, my dad and I hit the road south to Texas for a weekend of celebration, exhibition, reception and graduation for my son, Derek Moss. We took our time, had fantastic weather and arrived in Plano as the sun was setting.
Friday, 17 December 2010: Derek’s exhibition demonstration was scheduled for 4:00 pm at the Guildhall (SMU @ Plano campus) so we (Dad and I) retrieved Rachelle from Denton via SH 380. That took a couple of hours, and a stop for lunch at Braums.
Derek Moss as part of the Synesthetic Dream Game Team of Cohort 13
Once back in Plano, we left Rachelle at the Residence Inn and headed over to the Guildhall for the presentation and later the reception, which included a talk by the EA’s Chief Creative Director, Richard Hilleman.
Derek Moss receiving his stole for his Certificate of Art Creation
Of even more importance to the photographers in the audience, the graduates donned their academic regalia and received their stoles and master’s hoods.
Saturday, 18 December 2010: Friday, we left the Residence in after a quick continental breakfast to brave the Dallas traffic to the main SMU campus. On a normal day, Google maps estimated an hour drive. Since it was early Saturday morning, it took us just a bit over a half hour, giving us some time to cruise around campus and take in the beauty of the grounds at Southern Methodist University. We scored close parking, thanks to Terry’s handicap hanging tag and great seats (also in the handicap accessible area) of Moody Coliseum.
Derek Moss waiting to walk across the dais at the SMU December Graduation Ceremony
A couple of hours later, at 10:00 a.m., the graduates processed in and the fun began. The Guildhall graduates were the last set of Doctoral or Masters candidates to walk before the ‘regular’ Bachelors degree students.
Derek Moss, SMU Guildhall Graduate, Certificate of Art Creation
After the ceremony concluded, it took us a few minutes to find Derek again out in front of Moody Coliseum, but we eventually got together for some family photos. Derek turned in his gown and led us to the home of one of his team members for a after-graduation party. Stunning home (built by the owner/father), savory pulled pork (prepared by Derek’s friend), wonderful vodka punch and great fun.
Sunday, 19 December 2010: For some unknown reason, Terry and I were up, wide awake, by 4:30 a.m. We packed as quietly as we could and started stowing away items in the car. By 6:00 a.m. we were done and waiting for Rachelle, asleep on the hideaway. Rather than wait another hour for the continental breakfast provided by Residence Inn, we left early and descended upon an IHOP just north of there on Preston Road. If you haven’t tried their Harvest Grain ‘n Nut pancakes (with a side of turkey bacon heave), you don’t know what you’re missing. We dropped Rachelle off in Denton and said a quick ‘hi’ and ‘goodbye’ to Nic as he was heading off to work (the only Sunday he is required to work all year for his employer). The rest of the trip north, with a hefty tailwind to aid our gas mileage, was uneventful. We arrived back in Lansing before 4:30 pm.
Just a few hours later, while Terry was talking to a friend down in his band room, he started experiencing chest pain. We called an ‘ask-a-nurse’ service and tried to wait it out, hoping the pain would resolve itself, but after a couple more hours, he was still in pain (but not experiencing any of the other ‘usual’ symptoms associated with heart attacks or strokes – no numbness, tingling, tunnel vision, radiating pain, etc.). So, at 10:15 pm, we arrived at a quiet St. John’s Hospital emergency room, where we stayed for a battery of tests until 3:30 a.m. Heart issues were quickly ruled out, as well as stroke, but it took some time to rule out a blood clot in the lungs. Eventually, Terry was released to return home with some pain medication to help deal with the chest pain, which continued but was unexplained (yet apparently not life threatening).
Monday, 20 December 2010: We slept late (see previous paragraph), but not too late as we had several errands to run, including retrieving the Rotts from the boarding kennel. Squeaky clean excited Rottweilers in the back of your car and in your home for the first fifteen minutes; makes it difficult to take snapshots, but I persisted:
Roxy and Apollo all clean for Christmas
Tuesday, 21 December 2010: Knowing I had to work a whopping two days this week, I went to bed early. Terry woke me up around 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. to let me know Derek and Royna were arriving in thirty minutes. Shocker! I blearily got up and prepared the spare bedroom and slunk back to bed to finish my interrupted sleep. After work, I made a couple of loaves of Rosemary Sourdough to take to work on Wednesday as last-minute gifts for a long-time co-worker and my boss.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010: I survived a slow day at work, anticipating Rachelle arrival from Texas, via the Kelloffs, later that evening. She arrived safely before 10:00 p.m.
Thursday, 23 December 2010: Rachelle and I, the early risers in the family, rearranged the great room to accommodate the Christmas tree.
Santa's Helper
Thanks to Santa’s helper (Rachelle), who transported the tree and trimmings from the basement storage room up two flights of stairs to the great room, we have a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the northwest corner of our great room.
And here I sit, on the morning of Christmas Eve, reflecting back on a year of surprises, filled with joy, hope, grace and love.
Re-posting this from the weekly e-mail I subscribe to from Ken Jennings, which he coins as “Tuesday Trivia”:
Season’s greetings from Tuesday Trivia! Christmas and trivia go together like a creepy Bing Crosby-David Bowie duet, so we hope you enjoy this Christma-Hanuk-Kwanzaa-themed installment of our weekly quiz.
Now BRING US OUR FIGGY PUDDING! We won’t go until we get some. And some pudding.
THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS
How many tiny reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh, in the poem that begins “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”?
What sitcom featured a character with the very festive full name of “Christmas Noelle Snow”?
Which of the three traditional gifts brought by the three wise men has the highest market value today?
Rod Carew was a Minnesota Twin, but who are the only *real* twins name-checked in Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song”?
Most commercial Advent calendars begin on what date?
“Christmas disease” is another name for the ‘B’ type of what disease, most famously suffered by Alexei Romanov?
What unusual distinction is held by these countries in this order, and no others? Spain, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia.
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As with all good trivia, it would take you about 30 seconds to Google the answers to the first six questions above. So you’re on the honor system here: no peeking, and only send in the answers you knew off the top of your head. Answers will appear in next week’s mailing.
The seventh and final question every week is a “What do they have in common?” question, designed to be harder to Google. As I arrange to send out goodies to high scorers, it will be on the basis of these seventh questions only.
Send responses to tuesdaytrivia@ken-jennings.com by noon Pacific each following Monday. That’s also the address to contact if you missed the quiz one week and need to request a replacement.
I mailed out ten cards today to the American Red Cross’s post office box, which closes this Friday, December 10th. I may send out another ten tomorrow and again on Friday.
Such a small thing that could brighten the day of one of our service men and women.
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon His shoulder;
and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. — Chorus, Handel’s Messiah
We are grateful for the Child born in a manger, come to save us all. We are grateful for our own children, born just two decades ago, now released upon the world, making it a better, brighter place. We are grateful for the bounties bestowed upon us this year. We mourn for the passing a grandmothers and cherish the memories their lives bequeathed to us.
Family Gathers in Winfield for Barbara Parsons' Funeral
Spring:
Bitter cold snowy weather in January like I haven’t seen in Kansas since the 70s. February/March attended the funeral of Barbara Parsons and visited with relatives in Winfield. April/May traveled to Nebraska and Iowa to attend a couple of science fiction conventions.
Terry, Rachelle and Dan waiting at KCI for her flight to Germany
Summer:
Rachelle flew back home in late May, but only stayed a few days before traveling overseas to study abroad in Europe, specifically Leipzig, Germany. She celebrated her twenty-first birthday half a world away from where she was born. During her five weeks in Europe, she visited many cities in Germany, Austria and also Prague in the Czech Republic. She returned to the States on the eve of the Fourth of July and remained with us for the rest of the summer.
While Rachelle deeply immersed herself in learning German, my grandmother began to suffer from rapidly advancing congestive heart failure. Just two days before my daughter’s birthday, and actually on my grandmother’s 88th birthday, she passed away.
Doris Andrea Visitation Memorial
I was glad to have visited her in her final days and to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her with my aunt and dad. The next week became a blur as plans for the memorial service were ironed out and I offered my house as a staging area for family gatherings. The first, and hopefully last time for many years to come, I actually took advantage of my bereavement leave employee benefit.
The following week, my husband finally attended his Social Security Disability hearing before an administrative law judge (via video conference since the judge lived in New Mexico). We had been waiting years for this hearing, having been denied twice by bureaucrats in the SSA. Just last week (middle of October), he received his first regular disability check, but the settlement check for previous years is still several weeks away. The hearing, while stressful for Terry, relieved some of our agony of waiting.
In August, we mailed, er flew, Rachelle back to Texas and life settled back into it’s routine. I’d joined a vanpool mid-Summer so I wasn’t putting any miles on any of my vehicles. We received the welcome news that Terry’s appeal of denial of SSD benefits was awarded by the judge.
Autumn:
Meade ETX-90
Fantastic birthday present from my father – an amazing telescope with a plethora of accessories, which I’ve been exploring and learning how to use.
We traveled to North Texas last week for Thanksgiving, leaving the dogs behind boarded at a local Leavenworth kennel and doggie day care facility. We enjoyed the balmy weather and the kids.
In mid December, we will return to Texas, taking my dad with us, to attend my son’s graduation from SMU’s Guildhall, on Saturday, December 18, 2010. The best news of the year came in mid November when Derek informed us he had been hired by Halliburton for a very nice salary (close to six figures). If you’d like to send a card to Derek congratulating him, please send me an e-mail (jon@mossfam.net) and I’ll send you his mailing address, as I know most of you won’t be able to attend the graduation ceremonies.
Nic, Rachelle, Derek and Royna
We learned this week that Rachelle earned a retro-active scholarship for this school year (2010/2011) which allows her to attend UNT at the in-school tuition rate. She’s being reimbursed for the out-of-state tuition she paid in August.
As with most years, 2010 had it’s ups and downs, and it’s sideways diversions, but we survived, we thrived, we lived and we loved. And with God’s Grace, we will see many more to come.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Jon and Terry Moss
And the angel said unto them,
Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. — Recitative (Soprano), Handel’s Messiah
A hard copy of the above will be included with our annual Christmas card mailing to family and friends.
And if you’ve made it this far down on this post, why not take a couple more seconds (or minutes) to vote on my unHoliday decorations poll? 🙂
I returned to work this morning to this lovely creation in the elevator lobby. Is it just me, or does this creations seem to celebrate autumn, rather than a traditional holiday occurring within a few days of the winter solstice?
Being raised a Methodist, I remember with fondness the anticipation of lighting each successive candle in the Advent Wreath on each Sunday leading up to Christmas eve, when the final white Christ candle shone bright with love and hope. I even celebrated advent at home with my husband and children for a couple of years, but being empty nesters now, it’s harder to motivate myself.
