Life, Love, Long Hair, Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth, and other mysteries

All this and more, from a semi-Serbian, slightly sane, former editor for physicians and surgeons, who is the mother of seven kids.


Tuesday 25 December 2012

So, This Is "Christmas"

Early in the morning on Christmas Eve, I was in the hospital for blood tests.  This time, it’s a test for a.m. cortisol.  My doctor is trying to figure out if it is Addison’s disease.  I am praying it is just adrenal fatigue, which I have had and overcome before, albeit slowly, as it takes at least a year.

After I was done at the hospital, I went to the grocery store and bought some of my kids’s favorite fruits - mangoes, Oriental pears, pomegranates, boxes of mandarin oranges, and containers of raspberries.

I also bought a few special candies and chocolates, and bottles of Pom pomegranate juice - things my kids love but seldom get to have.


At home, I got my day’s worth of work done before 6:00 p.m., drove my 18-year-old daughter to her dad’s house five minutes away for dinner with a bunch of her relatives, came home, tucked the little ones into bed, and then I sat on the living room floor with Daddy, gently wrapping the gifts I had bought earlier, imagining the joy the kids would experience in the morning.

“What do you want for Christmas” is a phrase that doesn’t make sense to me.  As many in the world assume it to be the birth day of Yeshua, if He is their Lord, He is enough.

He is my Lord, and He is enough for me.  I do not, however, believe that December 25 was the day He was born.  Based on some things in the Scriptures, I suspect it was another day, and based on some things in historical writings, I believe “Christmas” is the “Christianized” version of an ungodly day of celebration, the same as Easter.

Nonetheless, a day does exist where thoughts are tossed around that God came down to Earth in the form of a man.  May the hearts of many be softened to the point of acceptance of why He came to us, what He did on the cross to pay the price for sin, and that that is all that is needed for eternal life.

And, so, sitting on the floor in my weakened state, I simply breathed, and took in the fact that I am still alive.  The silence of the evening was precious.

And then I ate some chocolate.  Yes, yes, I ate chocolate, I did.  Sooooo un-Steenybopper-ly of me, but it is what it is.

I knew my children wanted a tree, but I had no time nor strength to get one.  Daddy said, “Let’s draw a tree on the easel.”

I smiled, and I got the dry-erase pens.  I drew the tree symbol that represents the timber company that gives us half of our family’s income.  We put various Christmas decorations around the edges of our son’s easel, including ones made by the kids over the years, and we hung colourful glass balls from pretty thumb tacks I stuck into two of the ceiling beams.  I also taped to the beams some decorations made by the kids.

   

In the morning, the kids had so much fun seeing the decorated living room and opening presents while Patty Loveless sang "Christmas Time's A-Comin'", and John Lennon sang "So, This Is Christmas".  I got the turkey in the oven, and started work.  No days off for the self-employed barely making ends meet.

Peace on Earth?  I’m not sure that’s possible.  Peace in my heart beyond comprehension, even in the face of illness and whatever else this world throws my way, because I know I am loved with an everlasting Love and will be with the Lord forever?  Yes.



(Song:  "Heaven Came To Earth", by 2nd Chapter Of Acts)


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2 comments:

  1. Don't leave us hanging!

    My Dad was an Addisonian, and the experimental treatment back in the late '40's or early 50's worked-- which led to (besides, ME!) modern treatment.

    Last I heard, they are not sure if genetic component, and while I have some symptoms (including, "that boy gets tan standing in front of an open refrigerator door!"), do not have Addisons-- been checked twice, so far.

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    1. I'm hanging myself. Well, that didn't sound quite right, did it? I mean, I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the lab results. I want to know what I can eat and what I cannot eat. I've had adrenal burnout before and recovered, but it took over a year and a lot of supplements, careful diet, avoidance of caffeine, etc. I'm praying it is "only" adrenal burnout again, but that in itself is bad enough. I feel like absolute crap and can hardly walk.

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