Ho, ho, ho, part two

Another week has gone by, and Christmas is almost upon us. It's interesting that I feel very little excitement about Christmas any more. Some anticipation, looking forward to participating in the Christmas Eve worship, and next Sunday. Anticipating seeing the Chan's again, even in their changed situation. I await with interest the arrival of Judy and Otto for Christmas dinner, the very first time this has happened since the early 90's!

We're starting to do the shopping for Christmas dinner, and Beatrix is on a plan to thaw the frozen turkey. I always get anxious about that, fearing that we'll end up on Christmas morning with a half frozen bird to somehow get cooked by 5:30 or 6:00. This year, it has to be much earlier, like 3:00, because of Otto's medically mandated eating schedule. No problem, just an earlier start.

I had a little setback last week in terms of my exercise regime. I managed to cut my thumb while cooking. I cut the tip of the thumb quite severely. I probably should have gone down the street to the hospital and had a stitch or two put in it, but I didn't. I've kept it closed with adhesive. The problem is keeping it dry, so I don't have to change dressing every half day. The big negative is that it has kept me out of the pool. Admittedly, I was already “out of the pool” because of the pulled muscle in my back. I was about ready t get back in when the cut happened. 'No open wounds in the pool' likely means not again until well after Christmas. I've been getting my head around the reality that I may simply have to swim as far as I can in a length, and then walk the remainder. It would still be exercise…just hard of the ego.

In a text conversation with Diego the other day, I learned that the ritual to raise him to third degree takes place on January 17, 2015. I have promised to attend, with a good deal of eagerness. So, I'll be making arrangements this week to fly to Ottawa mid month. That will give me a weekend with Diego, Jasmine and Jennifer…perhaps a bit more than a weekend. I have to think it through yet. Soon, I guess, if I am to book flights this week.

At this point every Christmas season, I have nostalgic thoughts of days long gone when Christmas meant being with my children. That's over 30 years in the past, but the memories still haunt me and return every year. They aren't crippling, just sad, for a time, until other events crowd them into the background again. My guess is that there are many folks who have sad memories that emerge at Christmas, and add a dark shade to all the activities. I wonder how long these will last, and whether the current 'fading' will be complete in a day or two?  

Ho, ho, ho…part one

Christmas is coming. Yikes! I got started in our Christmas letter mailing (for those not on email) on Tuesday night this week. By Thursday AM, I had sent them all, and wrapped many gifts and boxed them for mailing for busing. Currently, my halo is glowing. Can you not see it?

On the recovery front, things are not so good. Walking is generally OK, apart from freezing rain that makes the sidewalks treacherous. I’ve had one fall, where no sand was spread on an intersection. Nothing broken; lovely yellow bruise!  The problem is with swimming. Open heart surgery has left with chronically short of breath in extreme exercise. In “the old day” I could run for two hours without a break. Today, I can often not make one length of the pool without gasping and restarting swimming. When I get so breathless, my legs won’t work, and they just flutter, rather than kick. Pain in the butt. Swimming with flippers made me fast, and thus able to reach the end of the pool with ease. However, the extra pressure pinched a nerve in my lower back. Can’t use flippers at the moment.

‘Swimming without flippers is incredibly slow, and causes me to collapse from oxygen loss before I make 25 metres! Very frustrating. At the moment, I have decided to forgo swimming for a week let my back settle down. I’ll walk every day, even on icy streets, rather than try to swim and almost drown!

Today, with some encouragement, Beatrix phoned her Dad and Sister to come for Christmas dinner. It looks like they will come! This is a first! Family for Christmas. Not mine, but hers!

This week, the tree goes up. Probably the last one on the block. Some have been up since mid-November! I’ll cut the bottom for soaking tomorrow, and we’ll go from there. It requires two of us, since I can’t carry the tree, according to my doctor.

Many people have seen the announcement in the local paper about my birthday celebration on January 4. I’ve gotten more than a few congratulations. How many people will come for coffee and pie is anybody’s guess. I’m saying 20 or 30 max. I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’m thinking about the logistics of 10 people for dinner. More plates, more cutlery. Logistics is my job. The Pastor is super busy at this time of year. Not me. I’ll manage to get things organized between visits to Tim Horton's. I hope!

Jingle bells…sort of.

We’ve moved into the season of Advent now, that supposedly quiet season of preparation for the Christian ‘Christmas.’ In our culture, the season is anything but quiet. We don’t get terribly involved in the madness, but with guests coming for Christmas and family all over the country, we do have to get into some Christmas shopping. Which is how we spent last Saturday. In Edmonton, at the Art Gallery, and a computer store, with at least one more trip planned.

A long the way, I listened to an interview with Stuart McLean on the Edmonton/Calgary Sunday AM show. I like his voice better when he is speaking normally, rather than the semi shout he uses when reading his Dave and Morley stories. He got talking about the completion of twenty years on the Vinyl Café, and about having lived a “well lived life.” That got me thinking about “legacy.” I found myself asking myself what, if anything, would be my legacy. My mind settled on the 32 years during which I was a teaching Chaplain in three Canadian hospitals – Health Sciences in Winnipeg, the Civic in Ottawa, and finally, Foothills in Calgary. Not only did I serve as a Chaplain during the day and on call, but I supervised and mentored over 100 “students” in pastoral ministry in crisis situations. These were clergy and lay people of various Christian denominations, wanting to learn how to deal with people in extreme medical situations. I enjoyed those years, overworking a lot of the time with a passion. Now and again someone with whom I worked indicated that the experience was valuable. My “pinnacle moment” came just a few years ago in Camrose, Alberta at a clergy workshop. I man approached me, white haired and middle aged, with no name that I could recall. He introduced himself to me, reminded me that he had taken a summer CPE unit in the late 70’s. He looked me in the eye and said, “That was the best course I ever took in preparation for ministry.” I was speechless (an unusual situation), This Lutheran pastor reminded me of the worth of what I had spent 32 years doing as a ministry.

Walking and swimming continue to be satisfying. The swimming is taxing; I’m not good at it, and I don’t any of the more relaxing strokes. However, the benefits are there, and I keep that in the front of my min as I gasp for breath at the end of a length. They are much more difficult to do without flippers, but I soldier on!

Tomorrow, Monday, I’m off to Edmonton to pick my repaired computer – new hard drive. Probably stop at the WEM (sorry, West Edmonton Mall) for a Christmas gift or two. Time to start wrapping and mailing. Really, I wonder what all of this has to do with “Christmas”? But of course, we do it anyway.