The Nativity and Life…
by Nonna
I began this post last week, and somehow time has just flown by… A Blessed Feast of the Nativity to all of you!
- Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Life does seem to get hectic this time of year. :) I’m sorry that I haven’t posted in so long! My little brother is in town for the holidays –(well, he might be taller than me now, but he’ll always be the boy who was my closest playmate for years… younger than me, but up for any adventure – even ones that make my heart race now as a parent… we did some crazy things as kids). It’s been wonderful to just be in the same room with him again. All the family gatherings have been such a blessing this year. Even the boys didn’t have too hard of a time – there were some tears from “sensory overload” and being “overwhelmed” – but all in all, this was one of the smoothest Christmases we’ve ever had. Still, every year I’m reminded how different the holidays are for our family – autism doesn’t do big extended family gatherings and celebrations very well. The boys love the extra services and all the extra family prayer times though. We didn’t miss a single one of our evening prayer/Advent/Jesse Tree times together this year — which is quite a feat considering the Nativity Fast is 40 days long. :)
Now it’s the morning after Christmas Day, and we woke up to a freezing cold house and broken furnace (thankfully we were able to get it fixed quickly, and Grandma’s house was already in the plans for the boys today since I had an MRI at noon). I couldn’t believe how quickly the cold broke into our little home – it stole into everything… including my bones and joints. I’m so thankful the heat is back on again now… and praying that God provides us with a woodstove sooner rather than later — there’s just something so reliable about wood heat! I love the depth of the warmth of wood heat too… for now, I’m recovering from the MRI at my mom’s, enjoying the nice warm house, while my house “heats up” (the furnace was fixed just a few minutes ago).
These first few days of the 12 days of Christmas will be busy ones for me… Today was the MRI (which went very smoothly, Glory to God), tomorrow I see a new rheumatologist and my faithful chiropractor, and on Wednesday I’ll have another IV in the morning, as well as a visit to my cardiologist in the afternoon. God-willing, the rest of the week will be spent recouping from all the doctor visits, and preparing myself for next weekend. :) We’ll be celebrating the Feast of St. Basil the Great (and of course the New Year) on Sunday – and it’s one of those saint feasts that are very special to us. Plus, this coming New Year’s Eve my Mister and I will be counting our 16th New Year together. Sixteen years ago this Saturday he asked me to marry him (in front of the entire little baptist church I attended at the time!)… and we could never have dreamed where we’d be sixteen years later. (I was still sixteen that New Year’s Eve too… hmmm…) :) What an adventure we’ve had together! So many memories… so much joy… and many sorrows too… a lot happens over 16 years.
Life never ceases to amaze me. No matter how much we project – how much we plan – we really have no idea what the future holds. The only thing we can know for sure is that if we surrender to God’s Will for our lives, He will lead us on the path of our salvation. Theosis – the fullness of salvation – is not something easily obtained… it is not something we are just granted… it is something we strive towards in the Grace of God. He has made the Way — we must walk it – He won’t make us walk it alone, but we must walk. Life is hard, but it is good. We struggle towards holiness, towards His Truth – we say we follow after Him, and He makes the way straight before us. It might lead through darkness, it might lead over mountains and valleys, but it is a straight path toward the Kingdom of Heaven.
Life makes no sense if it is not lived in the light of The Way – in the knowledge of this Reality. We are all dying… from the moment we are conceived, our days are numbered… each moment passed out to us in all its fading glory, and we only receive it once. May I not take a single one for granted. Here I’ve celebrated another Christmas Day – and my heart is rejoicing in the Light of the Kingdom Come… even as it pounds its crazy beat, thrown off by the MRI and other excitements of the last few days. “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” (Psalm 73:26) I am weary… but so grateful for these moments I’ve been given. When my last moment in this realm of Time passes, may I be able to say I’ve lived them all in gratitude to the Giver of all Good Things…
Amen. So be it.
Counting the ways He loves me:
1261… swirling sky sculpted in clouds and wind
1262… tin whistles
1263… stockings stuffed with smiles
1264… stocking caps warming cold ears
1265… family gatherings
1266… giving little gifts
1267… special gifts from Godparents
1268… boy pajamas from Grandma
1269… new books, books, books!!!! :)
1270… stomach shots — I ate a full meal for Christmas!! :) A little ham, some buttered carrots, a little corn bread, AND cranberry sauce! :)
1271… Dr. Kibert – my faithful, gentle, trusted chiropractor — such a blessing when my back goes out!
1272… MRI noise and crazy thumps… I’m not deaf! :)
1273… the blessing of attending ALL the Nativity services this year
1274… seeing the Professor help serve the Divine Liturgy on Christmas Eve morning… the only acolyte to be able to attend — his long legs definitely got a work out!
1275… clock chimes
1276… the hymns of the Nativity – such richness in song and theology
1277… working heaters
1278… warm showers
1279… busy schedules
1280… seeing my Mister and both my boys serving at Vespers for the Nativity together — so thankful they have that opportunity – our family is so blessed!
I apologize if this post seems less coherent than normal, I’m afraid my mind is slightly befuddled from everything that’s happened recently… God-willing, everything will have calmed down by next week — perhaps that weeks post will make a bit more sense! :)
Lord, have mercy…
Thank you for the above thoughts. You always encourage me. I am Orthodox but find good thoughts in many places. Let me share with you the following Christmas message which I translated from the German original [some help from Bing automated translation service]:
Christmas message from RC Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki of Berlin, 2011: LOOK AT THIS CHILD!
How can I find inner quiet and rest in the midst of the pre-Christmas hustle? That is a question which we face anew year after year. There are so many events and claims on our attention which come to us in the last days of the year. Yet in that same time we discover a strong desire for inner reflection, to somehow pull the scattered pieces of ourselves back together. It is not at all strange that a song about a silent and holy night is so popular. Even hardened unromantic personalities can scarely avoid the pull of Christmas. This arises from our inherent need for the security of a home, preferably within a circle of family and friends.
How can we satisfy this old and yet ever new inner need? How can we recover the path to this mystic Holy Night of which the Sacred Scriptures speak? The heavenly messengers bear witness: “Today is born to you Christ the Lord!” They speak of a child who sees about him an inhospitable world. Look at the baby in the manger!
Those who approach as do the shepherds and Kings, so in awe and amazement, can behold many messages in this divine child. This child speaks to us about God coming as a helpless creature to his own creatures, of the omnipotent Diety accepting weakness.
In these times in which we find ourselves intoxicated on the supposed blessings of biotechnology, a look at the divine child suggests humility. His gaze tells us that life is not merely created, but is always given and received as a gift
In the midst of holiday excess we should seek to look into the eyes of this child in the crib. Look at the child – let his message enter our hearts. Llife is a gift. God is the giver!
This is what the old vocabulary called grace. “Today a Saviour is born to you, Christ the Lord! A child in a manger! Accepting that we are his, makes our lives brighter and richer.
[yes, it is even nicer in the German, Dcn Fr Finbarr-Peter]