We are in Christmastide. ‘There are several celebrations within Christmastide, including Christmas Day (25 December), St. Stevens Day (26 December), Childermas (28 December), New Year’s Eve (31 December), The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (1 January), The Twelve Days of Christmas terminate with Epiphany Eve or Twelfth Night (the evening of 5 January). Wikipedia. We are basking in the Afterglow of Christmas. Family and friends have warmed our hearts and we have enjoyed their smiles and kindness…and subsequently, we have felt kinder ourselves. The joy of giving a gift and seeing the look of surprise on the recipient’s face and feeling their gratitude is priceless. Christmas allows us to see with special eyes and hear with special ears…and feel the meaning of, ‘Peace on earth and goodwill to men.’ Was it because of, ‘Some magic in that old silk hat they found…,’ as the song Frosty the Snowman says…or was it the magic of taking time to see each other and to listen to each other and to know each other…

Billy B. was full of the joy of Christmas. He had received all of the gifts that he had asked for and enjoyed the day with his family and his friends, Chet and Jane, and Daryl. Neva J. had been worried about Rosie all Christmas Day. She could not reach her and had even gone by her little home to knock on the door and attempt to raise her. Rosie lived alone and was a bit of a hermit. She talked to herself…a little…and answered herself…at times. She was a little round lady and she wore dresses called Moo Moos. Rosie loved Neva J. and confided in her. Rosie had been a dancer in Vaudeville and traveled the United States with the Dancing Troop that she was a member of. Her steady boyfriend for many years was a singer on the radio. They both enjoyed the exciting life of the Theatre and had many friends. Rosie told Neva J. that she had left her daughter with her sister to raise because she could not be with her on a regular basis due to her traveling with the Dance Troop. Her fiance, Bert, contracted tuberculosis and died. Her daughter disowned her. She had fallen into mental illness and destitution before Neva J. met her. Neva J. nursed her back to health and found her a little house and connected her to government assistance. She was her benefactor.

Rosie came to the door. Neva J. threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. ‘Rosie…I tried and tried to call you on Christmas to invite you to Christmas dinner,’ said Neva J. ‘June…I did not want to be with people that I do not know…but I would be happy to be with you and Billy B.,’ she responded. So, there you have it…Christmas happened again for Rosie…and Neva J. and Billy B….and it was more special than the first one… Rosie was dressed as Mrs. Claus and Billy B. came as Santa…and Neva J. was the angel…heralding the birth of the Christ Child…

A remembrance of a leader in our community upon his passing sites his ability to tell wonderful stories. We love stories. We live in a story! We are a story! When I hear the story of an ancestor or a historical figure and their challenges and accomplishments…I have to remind myself that they were as human as I am…their challenges were as great or greater than mine…and their accomplishments were as tenuous and desired as any that I have achieved and desired. Before I became a Christian…I was captivated by the Bible Story Books that I read in my Doctors office.

When I think of Dad I think of stories that I remember about him…and stories that I have been told about him. I often mention his leather motorcycle jacket his motorcycle hat and the fact that he carried a concealed handgun…that was illegal…on the street of Chicago. My father exists for me in stories. The same for Mom since her passing in 2013. I remember her care for the many country cats that she fed each day. She loved a glass of the boxed Franzia Wine…and she enjoyed ice cream called…Vienetta…which she slowly said as if to reveal the word too quickly would be more than the hearer could bear.

We have been to Europe 4 times…during the last decade…and all of the visits have become stories that we tell. I actually began blogging as a means of recording our traveling adventures and to have a record to look back on…as memory fades.

The Bible…both Old and New Testaments…are the stories of the Hebrew and Christian Faith. I have been a Christian for 53 years based on a story that mesmerized me. The Story has provided me with a path to trod and a road map of life…that has been fulfilling and given purpose to my journey.

One day each of us will die…and the next day our lives will become a story that our loved ones and friends and acquaintances tell…

Write your story…well…

Yesterday the temperature was in the 60s…today it is in the 20s. The wind is blowing at 16 miles per hour and the chill factor is 13 degrees. Now, this is normal weather for Southern Illinois…but this fall and thus far winter…has not been normal. Traffic is slow as most folks are in by the fire. I wore the neck scarf that MJ got me for Christmas…it felt good. Winter is most enjoyable when looking at it through your window.

Discipline and responsibility are not always fun…but they are fulfilling. When I was a lad in Eldorado, Illinois I really did not compare mom and my life to others. I knew what our reality and resources were and felt satisfied that we were doing the best that we could with the tools that we had to work with. Life was simpler and often better without the constant harassment of Facebook and its comparisons to others that have more earthly goods…and who seems to be having…constant fun…without cost. The Lottery is a multi-billion dollar industry that is financed by many people who are using the butter and egg money to purchase the magical Lottery Ticket. Dreams are mystical and magnificent things…and working to fulfill your dreams is a worthy goal. Dreams that lead to poverty and sorrow…are not the substance of hope.

On October 10, 1978, I was hired as a Building Service Worker at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. Custodial work is a fundamental bedrock need in our society. Not glamorous or often sought after…but a dream come true for MJ and me. I emersed myself in my housekeeping duties. I did not consider my position a ‘Bridge Job’ to a better position. I understood that if I sought excellence in my service and kept a servant’s heart…my work would be recognized by some. I knew from my first day that I wanted to be a Professional Housekeeper…I wanted to be the best that I could be.

Often we grow discouraged that our climb on the Ladder Of Success…is not moving as rapidly as we believe that it should be. We witness others get ahead by rhetoric and deception and we wonder…if anyone is watching or noticing… There is no easy answer if we choose to compare ourselves to our neighbor…if we focus on excellence and the fundamentals of our success…we will be rewarded…in time. True success is incremental.

Lentils and ham for dinner today. Home-made cheeseball to accompany the New Years Feast. It rained all day and now the thermometer is dropping precipitously. Aaron and I watched a Horror Film…that we still are trying to decipher. Jonathon and I put the Christmas decorations back into their Christmas Closet. Aaron helped MJ with dinner. If the holidays teach me anything…they teach that life is short. When I reflect on Christmas past…they seem like yesterday. Christmas is a Station in our earthly travel. A time to remember and a time to plan for the future. Time to take stock of what seems to be a random set of occurrences and circumstances…when you are experiencing them…but in reality, they make up the fabric of your life.

Colder temperatures will come as a shock to the many who have received significant tornado damage to their homes…especially in Mayfield, Kentucky. I saw a man with many rags and blankets attempting to sleep in a doorway in Carbondale. When you see the homeless…it is difficult to conceive how horrible it is to Sleep Rough…as the English refer to homelessness. We have been experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures most of December…now the full force of winter in Southern Illinois is coming…tonight.

It has been said that to continue to do the same things and to expect different results…is a form of insanity… 2022 can be a year of change for each of us. The change will be all around us and it will demand our attention and our time and our talents. If we can have a spirit of change…we will be much happier with what the New Year brings us. We can accept responsibility for our actions in the New Year. The Change that we want to occur in ourselves…is our responsibility. Another human is never going to take the interest in you that you naturally have in yourself. Your failure is usually your primary responsibility and your success is attributed to your hard work and sweat and determination.

Visualization…helps in the achievement of goals. If you can see yourself firmly in the place or position or succeeding in the goal that you have set for yourself…it will be achieved. There is an old saying that ‘Rome was not built in a day,’ and neither will our goals be achieved in a day. Success is incremental. You do not fail overnight…and you do not succeed…overnight.

Happiness comes from the continued pursuit of excellence. I wonder if many marriages fail due to each partner having unrealistic expectations of the happiness that their partner is going to bring them. Usually what you work at in endeavoring to make another happy…will come back to you… Karma