I can't believe the amount of time that has passed since my last post. It's soon to be a month since I last put fingers to keyboard. Where did the time go and what has been occupying all my time? For starters...Judi's Mom. Now that she has been placed in a local nursing and rehabilitation center, she continues to occupy a great deal of our free time. Regular visits are most important as she truly enjoys any family company...especially daughter Megan and "boyfriend" Greg. Mother's short term memory continues to wane more noticeably with every visit. She knows each of us, but forgets where she is, not even recognizing the grand lobby where we have eaten many meals with her. It is all totally new to her each and every time...her surroundings, the nursing staff, her roommate, what she did or didn't do five minutes ago. She is scumming to an ever thickening fog that has no horizon or promise of dissipating...just a sameness that has no definition. Sad...Last evening was the one and only performance of our church's Christmas celebration that played to a packed house of over 1,500 spectators. Since August many in the congregation have been preparing for this event...learning the music, building props (I was heavily involved in this) and making the sanctuary festive. It was a full two hours of music with our 100 member choir carrying the bulk of the program. We also had some speciality groups, one of which is our Men's Assemble. We performed Elvis Presley's standard (if you can call it a "standard") Blue Christmas, replete with an Elvis impersonator from our church who performs his mimicking act all year round for various groups. If I never hear "Blue Christmas" again, it will indeed be a time too soon. We had a great time bringing this gift of Christmas music to our community, but we are all glad it is behind us...at least until next August when we begin making preparations for Christmas 2009.
Than there's always the time and effort required to get oneself ready for Christmas. Since Judi and I still are without employment, our Christmas gift giving will be significantly reduced in scope. We are making do with one gift that we each think is significant, but not extravagant. We are not even putting up a tree this year (saves me two days!), as Megan is in Pennsylvania visiting with her boyfriend's family, not returning until January 3rd. With no family to share the day, we couldn't see the need to go to the effort of overly decorating the house as we've done for previous Christmases. We'll spend a portion of the day again visiting Judi's Mom in the nursing home, then out to dinner and a movie. Suits me. We might even spend a couple of days between Christmas and New Year's somewhere further south...perhaps Santibel Island where it is against the law for the temperatures to be cold.
I hope to get back on a more regular track with my postings right after the new year. I miss the opportunity to exercise my mind in this manner, as it gets so little exercise otherwise. I wish to take this opportunity to wish every one who travels across these pages a most wonderful and joyous Christmas and a New Year that will be filled with new dreams and fulfilled promise. It's got to better (I pray) than what we've experienced in 2008! God Bless...
I share with you what my friend Coffeypot shared as a Christmas greeting with me and all his many fellow bloggers...
