How was this year different than last year?

Was it really any different at all? Think about that.

Will next year be any different than this year?


But first, how was your Christmas (or Hannukah for my Jewish friends)? Mine was really nice. My parents and I went to 4 pm mass on Christmas Eve. This picture is one that my friend Terry took before one of the Christmas masses…Fr Pat, before his homily, had called all of the kids to gather around the manger scene with him. He asked them some questions about the holiday and they answered them. One question was, “Whose birthday is today?” A little girl who was literally standing right in front of his lapel microphone proceeded to yell “My Daddy!” The whole church went up in laughter. It was just one of those priceless “kid” moments. Fr Pat later said that he never heard the church all laugh together that hard. One reason might have been that you never see the standing-room only crowds any other time of year than Christmas...

The open house I had was very nice—thanks to all of you who came. As predicted, it was a smaller crowd than last year, but we all still had a really nice time. Krista shared a story about my goddaughter, who, when watching a Christian kiddie Christmas show on TV was asked by the person on TV, “Who is the King of the Jews?” My goddaughter proceeded to say “Uncle Jarred” as her answer. Another hilarious kid moment (Jarred is her Jewish godfather).

On Christmas Day I went to Caroline’s open house (as I do each year). It was great to see her two boys (as well as the rest of her family!)

OK, so now we’re a few mere days away from 2007. I am a person who always looks forward to a fresh new year. Jarred always proclaims the new year the “Year of….” Many years, it has been the “Year of Jarred” (or YOJ) whether you knew that or not. In 2005, we had the “Year of Joy” (anotherYOJ). Many people in our circle got behind that movement. Around September of 2005, I granted a one-year extension on the Year of Joy so it would last all through 2006. That was an unprecedented move, but I got Jarred to agree. A couple months ago I told Jarred I wanted 2007 to be the Year of Positivity (yes, you guessed it—YOP).

One thing that I always do before the New Year is clean my house. I keep a clean house in general, but I mean business right before the new year. It’s a mental thing for me—I want to have all of my “junk” thrown out so that I can start the new year off with a “clean” slate.

It’s that way for me with my relationships too. It was in early 2006 that I left the lives of a couple of friends of mine. When I do that, it’s rarely because they treat me bad or they are mean or I don’t love them anymore. It’s usually because I do have love for them and I have realized that I am not able to be the kind of friend that they need, or that the relationship is no longer reciprocal or mutually beneficial and some selfishness on one or both of our parts have come into play. Sometimes you grow apart over time because you both change. Sometimes you can no longer support their decisions, so it’s easier to fade away and let them live their lives. Sometimes you wake up one day and realize you haven’t been “friends” in a very long time. I continue to pray for all of the friends who are no longer a part of my life.

I think one pair of my friends let me go this year as well. If they have, I accept that—it’s a part of life. God love them.

While I have let go of some people in 2006, I have gained other new, quality friends through my parish. Also, I have reestablished contact with some old friends—I saw Steph for the first time in over 5 years in 2006, I saw Trish’s home and family and “lived” with them for the first time in 2006. I also think I became better friends with my parents in 2006—our relationship is stronger and better than ever and I am grateful for that, especially as they get older.

I have been giving a lot of thought to what I want in 2007. I have been giving a lot of thought to what work I have to do to make these things a reality. I have been praying about them to try to discern if the things I want are the same things that God wants for me. Some of the changes I want to make are pretty subtle. Some others will take some more time and effort. My Lord will lead me, but, it’s important to remember (for ME to remember) that God helps those who help themselves. God can provide opportunity, God can open doors, God can lead us, but I still have to make things happen.

May God bless you all and keep you and yours safe, happy, and healthy, in the new year!

Odds and ends (the Christmas edition)

We Christians are getting robbed a little bit this year. The fourth Sunday of Advent is this Sunday, December 24. Then the next day is Christmas Day. The fourth week of advent is no week—it’s one day!—even less if Christmas Eve is when you really celebrate Christmas, like me and my parents. I do feel like I have been robbed of some of my preparation time this Christmas season, but I know I’ll live.

Another weird thing this year is that after I leave work today I have my normal weekend to go through—Friday and Saturday and then the Christmas festivities don’t really begin until Sunday.

I am going to get my hair cut by my friend Liz at Posh Salon at a very early 8 am tomorrow morning (hey—might as well link them here—why not?). Am I a glutton for punishment even on my days off? No, I’m just a huge morning person who enjoys trying to find a reason to get up and get the day going.

Some of my staff got me a Borders gift card for Christmas. They know what their boss likes! A few of the others got me little individual gifts. E and I are going out to lunch one day next week (we did the same thing last year—we leave a couple hours early and have a late lunch and walk around the city). A couple of them got me nothing, and that’s OK too. It won’t be reflected in their annual reviews I have to do next month, I promise. I took them all out to lunch over the past few weeks—there are a dozen of them, so I did it in two groups of six. It’s the least I can do to thank them for all they do and for putting up with me. God bless them!

Oh and as a little P.S., I got an electronic Christmas card yesterday from Massachusetts Man telling me some very nice things. It was a sweet gesture.

Have a very Merry Christmas. I pray we all use the coming of the infant Christ as a time to welcome Him into our hearts anew.

Where have I been?

I have been trying to think of why I haven’t posted in so long and I can’t use the excuse that E was away from work because he has been back for almost 2 weeks now (although we still are busy!)

It certainly isn’t that I don’t have anything to say!

I took off on Tuesday and finished my Christmas shopping. I have two small things left to pick up and then all that I am left with is the unpleasant task of wrapping everything. It’s one of my least favorite things for sure, and you better believe that anything that fits in a gift bag winds up in one.

I am having the annual Open House on Christmas Eve. I am expected just a small crowd year, but that is OK with me—as the Lord wills! Whoever He wills to send is who is supposed to come this year. The nice thing about having a small family is that even when we just add a couple extra people it feels like a big crowd. Mom and Dad are well, praise God. They are as funny as ever. We have been having fun shopping for the holiday and deciding the menu for our dinner on Christmas Eve before everyone stops over. As proper Italians, of course we always have some fish on the menu!

This Advent has been a real time of joy for me this year—I have been trying to focus on the coming of Christ this year like a little child. I feel excited like a little kid, looking forward to Christmas for all the right reasons. I have been thinking a lot about my commitment to my job and how I sometimes feel like I am the only person who cares about quality as much as I do—it causes me some stress and some restless sleep some nights; that is often the plight of a perfectionist. I want to work on keeping my main focus on the more important things in life other than my job.

Thinking of all of you and the blessing you are to me. I hope to see some of you on Christmas Eve!

Is everybody crazy?

Do you ever have those times where you are pretty convinced that everyone around you has lost their minds?

I am in the middle of one of those times right now. People making crazy choices, taking huge risks, people not thinking things through, rash decisions out the wazoo...

Then it makes me think about my senior year of college when things with John and I were coming to an end (for real) and I was really not in a good place emotionally and mentally and I was on the phone with my friend Wyndee who was in North Carolina at school and I was screaming, "I am not crazy! He is crazy!" at the very top of my lungs like a lunatic.

Over a year later (or even more), when everything was long back to normal for me, praise God, Wyndee told me that she made herself a mental note to one day tell me that I was indeed totally crazy on the phone that day, but just wasn't in the place to be told so right then.

That's where I think some of the I know folks are right now. Acting crazy, but not in the right place to be told so...

P.S. I have survived week one of doing my job PLUS E's job. Monday was a terrible day, really bad, but the week progressively got better. Four more work days to go! He comes back on Dec 8--YAY! Then I can get back to "normal," whatever that is. Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming.

Also, please pray for my friend Gary (and his wife Claire--she sometimes posts comments here). Garys mom died suddenly of a blood clot this week. May God rest her soul.