As Daniel says in his last posting, I am doing much
better. God has graced me with the
ability to wake up in the morning rather than sleeping too soundly until
noon. The doc says that I should take
the Prednisone in the morning to sleep better (that is sleep past 5am). I’ve done that, but continue to wake
early. I’ve been able to go to chapel
every day since before Thanksgiving. With the start of Advent, I started to go with Sue Crommlin to the
Episcopal monastery three blocks from our house for the 7:30 am service on
Saturday. Sue has been taking me to
Christ Church on Sundays for the early morning service followed by adult
forum. I am really going to miss Chapel
and church (and Sue) now that we are down here. It will be a good opportunity to start going to St. Philips, which will
be my regular congregation after the move.
All of this is to say that I’m having a lovely Advent
season. You may recall that this is my
favorite time of year. I’ve written on
the blog about how the Anglican/Episcopal church is the Church of Christmas
Day. It is our major religious day since
it celebrates the incarnation, the miraculous event whereby Christ took human
form and therefore we all are the “Body of Christ.” Advent is a time of prayerful anticipation
for yet another year of Christ’s coming and our being born as Christ on
earth. It is the time for being very
still, awaiting a great surprise.
And, of course, it is the time that most of us find
difficult to be still. Everyday is full
and the to-do list is long. At EDS
students are scurrying to finish papers for their fall courses. We have a dozen people who will write their
General Ordination Exams starting January 3; they are consumed with final
preparation for those exams. I well
remember the times in my corporate life when I was working to finish my
department’s budget proposals for the upcoming year and getting personnel
evaluations done. I wasn’t a practicing
Christian for much of that time. I can’t
imagine what I might have thought if someone had suggested that this is the
time to be still. I feel so blessed that
I can now savor the hours. This morning
I’m finishing my tea in our ocean side bedroom, looking out at a gentle
Atlantic ocean and birds gliding by my window. This is a wonder-filled way to be still and anticipate the birth of
Christ.
We will be enjoying a fine family holiday. My son, Ron, is coming from California. It will be the first Christmas in several
years that he is with us, though he usually comes in January. He will be participating in the 100 mile bike
ride for the Leukemia Foundation again this year. He has ridden 100 miles most weekends since
the Leukemia ride last April. I am very
proud of him. We’ll be having Christmas
Day dinner at Jennifer’s house so that we can see the boys play with their new
toys. I’m told Zac is getting one of
those video games where people use their bodies to move the game. I’m looking forward to trying it.
Our trip down here was a good one though it didn’t start off
that way. As Daniel mentioned, I had to
go to Dana Farber for a retest of my potassium levels; we didn’t get out of
Boston until nearly 5pm. Turned out my
potassium levels were really high. The
doc called us as we drove through Connecticut to tell me I had to have
medication that very night. He called a
prescription into a CVS in West Hartford (where I used to live); we picked it
up and were down the road. Though the
car was fully packed, Daniel kept the back seat (middle seat in the van
actually) clear for me. When it got
dark, I lay down back there so that I wouldn’t be bothered by the glare of
oncoming headlights. Daniel loves to
drive it night, but it has really been a problem for me. By getting in the back seat, I’m able to ride
comfortably after dark. Daniel drove us
all the way through NJ before we stopped for the night. It was great to be so far along when we left
the next day. I think that we finally
have an arrangement we both can live with.
We are off now to the Southport Hospital to have my
potassium tested today, then on to Wilmington for a Costco run and to see Zac
practice with his basketball team. I’ll stay
with Jen tonight and we’ll go shopping together tomorrow before I walk onto the
ferry which will bring me back to the beach side of the river where Daniel will
pick me up.
Yes, we are anticipating a wonderful Christmas.
We wish you all the joy and peace this season and this life
can possibly bring to you. We are
praying for our sick friends and wishing them the best. And mostly, we are giving thanks for you, our
wonderful friends, and for all the blessings of God’s creation.
Merry Christmas
Bonnie for BanD
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