Ramblin’ an’ Rumblin’ XII
Author: Wayne Brady
When did it arrive and when did it leave?
Strange things just keep on happening to me in my waning years. Christmas time has always been my favorite time of the year and I always looked forward with childlike eagerness to finding the Christmas spirit early in December.
It was like finding a quarter when I was about nine or ten years old, when money was a very scarce item. That was in the days where a quarter would last a week or more and provide a satisfactory life style for a week or more. Spending a quarter in those days was not as satisfying as thinking about how to spend it and what a quarter would actually buy. I remember going to Rose’s “dime store” and looking for minutes over the things that were there, making choices in my mind as what to buy. Holding on to the quarter was also in the mix. Thinking about that much money in my pocket was a wonderful feeling much like a kid today with a twenty dollar bill might feel. It was a feeling of power, man.
But the Christmas spirit did appear, although it was late and sort of slipped into my life very slowly and somewhat irresolute. Then without any warning it was gone and I was left with a feeling that somehow I had been cheated. Fortunately, I read Luke 2 on Christmas Eve and did some thinking on the events that transpired on that incredible night of Jesus’ birth, and it was uplifting just considering the implication of that glorious happening. But on Christmas day there was a hazy sense of loss. Thanks to our daughter, Sabrina and her children, we were able to meet with them at breakfast time, open our gifts, spend happy moments together and retreat back to the kitchen for dinner. This did help salvage a part of the Christmas Spirit as being with loved ones does. Then after arriving back at home, another exciting event help in finding Christmas was opening the gifts from the other girls, Joni, Judi and Dana, and finding attractive and fruitful favors from them, which is always exciting. (Thank God for four super, gracious, loving daughters.)
The year 2020 has been like this for most of the year. The uncertainty of the pandemic and how to handle life with all the information and misinformation being disseminated through the less than accurate news media have caused consternation throughout the country. Then the riots, escalation of crime, the presidential election, have filled people with fear not being able to cope with the fast pace that time is moving and with events we never thought we would ever see in this country.
So, Christmas is gone. But my childlike fervor for this blessed season is already starting to form in my mind for the coming year, confessing that next year will be different and “more better”.
Being an eternal optimist does aid me in working toward what the apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians 1 when he talked about forgetting the past and moving on to the things that are ahead. I intently look forward to the new year with great anticipation that it will be a year of great relief from the less than pleasant experiences of the past year.
If you read this article and you feel even a twinge of fear or doubt about the times in which we are living, or things that are on the horizon, please read, reread and spend some time poring over Psalm 23. I’m sure you know it by heart, but by spending time meditating over each Scripture you will gain new insights, new meaning as the Holy Spirit guides and teaches you with calm assurance that God is still in control. God bless you in your search and may God bless us all as we allow Him to remove the fear and doubt from among us.
Author: Wayne Brady
When did it arrive and when did it leave?
Strange things just keep on happening to me in my waning years. Christmas time has always been my favorite time of the year and I always looked forward with childlike eagerness to finding the Christmas spirit early in December.
It was like finding a quarter when I was about nine or ten years old, when money was a very scarce item. That was in the days where a quarter would last a week or more and provide a satisfactory life style for a week or more. Spending a quarter in those days was not as satisfying as thinking about how to spend it and what a quarter would actually buy. I remember going to Rose’s “dime store” and looking for minutes over the things that were there, making choices in my mind as what to buy. Holding on to the quarter was also in the mix. Thinking about that much money in my pocket was a wonderful feeling much like a kid today with a twenty dollar bill might feel. It was a feeling of power, man.
But the Christmas spirit did appear, although it was late and sort of slipped into my life very slowly and somewhat irresolute. Then without any warning it was gone and I was left with a feeling that somehow I had been cheated. Fortunately, I read Luke 2 on Christmas Eve and did some thinking on the events that transpired on that incredible night of Jesus’ birth, and it was uplifting just considering the implication of that glorious happening. But on Christmas day there was a hazy sense of loss. Thanks to our daughter, Sabrina and her children, we were able to meet with them at breakfast time, open our gifts, spend happy moments together and retreat back to the kitchen for dinner. This did help salvage a part of the Christmas Spirit as being with loved ones does. Then after arriving back at home, another exciting event help in finding Christmas was opening the gifts from the other girls, Joni, Judi and Dana, and finding attractive and fruitful favors from them, which is always exciting. (Thank God for four super, gracious, loving daughters.)
The year 2020 has been like this for most of the year. The uncertainty of the pandemic and how to handle life with all the information and misinformation being disseminated through the less than accurate news media have caused consternation throughout the country. Then the riots, escalation of crime, the presidential election, have filled people with fear not being able to cope with the fast pace that time is moving and with events we never thought we would ever see in this country.
So, Christmas is gone. But my childlike fervor for this blessed season is already starting to form in my mind for the coming year, confessing that next year will be different and “more better”.
Being an eternal optimist does aid me in working toward what the apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians 1 when he talked about forgetting the past and moving on to the things that are ahead. I intently look forward to the new year with great anticipation that it will be a year of great relief from the less than pleasant experiences of the past year.
If you read this article and you feel even a twinge of fear or doubt about the times in which we are living, or things that are on the horizon, please read, reread and spend some time poring over Psalm 23. I’m sure you know it by heart, but by spending time meditating over each Scripture you will gain new insights, new meaning as the Holy Spirit guides and teaches you with calm assurance that God is still in control. God bless you in your search and may God bless us all as we allow Him to remove the fear and doubt from among us.