Back to the Beginning... Again

I should be de-Christmassing, but I generally hate that part of the holiday season.
In truth, I like the fresh start it represents and the opportunity to maybe have things organized once I'm done, but it's the process of getting there that troubles me.

Soooo, instead of getting started right away, I'm pondering the new year, Greg turning 40 and starting a new decade (one he's really looking forward to, I might add), and the unique wonderfulness of beginnings.













And seeing as how Grace got wind of my plans to de-Christmas soon and is consequently frantically reading all of the Christmas books one last time before they are locked away for a year, it seems only fair that I give her a moment.





I guess I love that as lost in a moment as I can be, a new year is still a new calendar that no one has written on - and it remains so until I take a pen in hand and start writing.

And regardless of cynical thoughts about my bajillion past ideas or dreams that have never come to fruition, that calendar stays clean with no plans or failures documented - until I try again, with my pen to own my new calendar.

And at the end of every year when I agonize over which new calendar to purchase (must have an emotional attachment), I am overwhelmed with it's newness.

I am overwhelmed with grace - the opportunity to begin again, again.

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The Bathroom, The Nutcracker, and Prisoners

Yep, life has been a little nutty around here (as is typical for every American household in December)...

We are PRETTY excited about the bathroom makeover that has been taking place this week in the bathroom that Emma and Grace share. It was the only room in our wonderful home (that we snagged for an amazing bargain as a foreclosure that needed moderate love) that actually freaked me out when we first saw it. It was kind of creepy and dingy and had carpet.

Greg and I had been saving for an eventual remodel, and the time is finally here! It's a tad complicated when one upstairs bath is out of commission and the other is attached to our bedroom and closet which also happens to be The North Pole right now. The downstairs bath is doing triple time, and it works out with flexibility...










We had a great time with my parents who came last weekend for an early Christmas visit and to see Emma and Grace in The Nutcracker. I finished work before our break on Friday. Saturday was dress rehearsal ALL DAY and one performance that night. Sunday was the second performance, during which I volunteered as backstage mom for an abundance of little mice before and after their part in the performance. The bathroom guys started on Monday morning.

I've been shopping most of the week, because I have time off, for which I am grateful.
Greg works all day this week and has Christmas Eve rehearsals most evenings. He got home after dress rehearsal last night by 11:30.

I am not getting to Christmas cards this year, but we haven't changed all that much from our picture last year. I am loving the photos and catch up notes from many of you. Thank you for squeezing that into your own Christmas craziness.

I am finally feeling done and so overdue for time to JUST BE. Today was sunny and cool, a beautiful Texas winter day (which equals a good spring day in Iowa). I put on my running stuff, grabbed my iPod, and went for a jog.

My soul needed that time in the beauty with no one around. One of the albums on my iPod is Sara Groves, O Holy Night Tour, which is recorded live in a women's prison.

I was running and listening to her beautiful version of Angels we have Heard on High when my heart caught in my throat and surprised me with instant tears at the part when she said, "please sing with me, Gloria, will you sing that?"

The most amazing part of that song overwhelmed me as the lovely voices of the women prisoners sounded to me like angels joining in singing, "Gloria, gloria, gloria in excelsis deo..."

I don't know what is in the hearts of these women, but their voices were beautiful.
I wondered if I sing as beautifully as a prisoner who has been set free.
Or if I sing as one who feels contented with a comfortable life and comfortable Christmas that includes general happiness about eternity.
Or if I sing as one who is a prisoner still not aware of her freedom.
It all depends upon my state of mind, I suppose. I have sung as each.

Gloria, gloria, gloria in excelsis deo!

May we all sing as prisoners who have been set free this Christmas.
Merry Christmas!


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Ponderings and Plans, not necessarily in that order

Looking forward to a busy but fun weekend ahead. Greg and I are running in the City of Allen Rudolph Run 5K tomorrow, weather permitting. Abby has an all day service project with her youth group at a local food pantry, and Emma has ballet and then she'll be serving at her ballet company's Tea with the Sugar Plum Fairy. I am finally going to see The Help with my niece and sister-in-law in the afternoon, which I am pretty excited about.
And the Big Event of the weekend is...

Our annual Christmas Tree Decorating / Eat Chinese Take-out for Dinner Thing tomorrow night! Of course it is always frought with tangled, burned-out lights irritation, "that's my ornament!"itis, little welts where the fir needles poke us, sap from the trunk on our hands for about a week, general exhaustion from the whole experience, some repositioning after Grace is in bed, and needles everywhere, but honestly, the Chinese food makes it all better.
We've had this tradition for at least 9 years - enough to validate it with a red Chinese take-out box and chopsticks ornament. Our beautiful tree is standing in a bucket of water in the backyard for the time being, quivering in anticipation, I think.

Deep thoughts and/or quotables from the week (the ones I can remember):

Grace is a big Beverly Cleary fan, and she particularly loves and feels a kinship with Ramona as the youngest. Her comment after reading a portion of Ramona Quimby, Age 8 together tonight - "Beverly Cleary just knows how life really is."

I think I need to start my own bubble bath company. I am almost out and put it on the Christmas wish list that Grace started for every member of the family. I really do appreciate the wonderful aromatherapy scents I've had (relax, sleep, etc), but sometimes I need bubble bath called "Kick in the Rear" or "Get up and go organize a closet, already!". Haven't quite figured out the scents yet, but I'm working on it.

My Current Currentlies:

I am...
Currently reading: To Kill A Mockingbird and loving it (haven't read it since high school). That Harper Lee can craft a sentence - every one, in fact.

Currently listening to: Gungor's latest album Ghosts Upon the Earth - they are musical geniuses, amazing to listen to while running.
Sara Groves' new album Invisible Empires - love her voice and thoughtfulness.

And that's about it for now, because it's Friday night after a long week and my eyelids are getting droopy.
Happy Weekend to you.

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