Yep! That's Another Year Over!

I've twisted my own arm to get started on this post - I put.the address on some of my Christmas Cards, in lieu of a Round Robin.  

I celebrated my 68th birthday in October with a trip with the whole family to the Dean Forest Railway, where my father's signal box found a home long after he ceased to need it. That was great fun - bringing the generations together, telling the family stories, creating memories. I think this is what grandparents are for!

Ray keeps the Chapions League afloat by traversing Europe with high quality recordings of the games. He's been to everywhere beginning with 'Li' recently; Lisbon, Lithuania, Lichtenstein ... (I may be making Lichtenstein up, I shall have to ask him. ) I accompanied him to Cyprus once, but spent the whole weekend throwing up in a hotel room, and have not been tempted to go since. Oporto in Portugal is lined up in March, Brussels and Amsterdam, Vilnius and Vienna already ticked off. 

He  was stopped by a zealous border guard on one occasion, who suspected he might be couriering something more contraband than a football match ... 

We had a wonderful break (August) in North American, riding the Rocky Mountaineer with Darlene and Steve. Drank gin, took photos of lakes and forests (sadly wreathed in smoke) and actually got to touch the bob sleigh that was used in the film, "Cool Runnings", near Calgary. Interesting side-bar:I hear  Calgary is 'in the running' for the next Winter Olympics. Lovely town. 

The grandchildren are growing up, and doing splendidly. they range on age from 11 years to 8 months, and I'm happy to announce, a seventh is due early next year. 

From top left (clockwise) Ray and I, Frank, Alfie, Finley, Abigail , Rosie and Sam. 

Among my accomplishments this year has been being elected to chair both the local branch of the Labour Party, AND the Parish Council. There! That says everything you need to know about my passions. 

Our thanks to all of you who remembered us this Christmas. You WILL receive a reply, but I hear there's a five-day backlog at the local sorting office, and we missed today's post! 

Ive stolen my my friend Jean's  Christmas Card for this post. Guess which camp she's in! 

You gotta laugh ... 

And finally, especially for Caroline and Kelvin: A plaque that has been on my wall in several homes since 1988:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, to you all, wherever you are! 

Something I Can Believe In

In an inspired moment, faced with two ten year old boys engaged in an "It wasn't me, it was him!" explanation for their latest fight, I sighed deeply and sent them out into the cloakroom to, "Work on a story I can believe in, then come back and tell HIS side of it ...! " I tell you, I'm good.

The number of fights dropped significantly, because my genius way of dealing them, was just too tedious to repeat.

Happy New Year! Yes, really, it's the beginning of the Church's liturgical year: the beautiful season of Advent. I NEED Advent: the rush of the secular pre-Chritmas with it's intense activity and expectation of being jovial to strangers, is intensely stressful to we introverts. I revel instead, in drawing inwards to the place of quiet, to reflect deeply on the mystery of incarnation.

Do I believe the story of the Babe In The Manger? I believe in the possibility, but without a birth certificate and selfies posted on Facebook, it's impossible to be sure. (.Although, when Barack Obama showed his birth certificate, the people who really didn't want to believe him, still didn't ... Soooo...)

Putting the manger, shepherds and Kings to one side for a moment, there is a truth that I hold very dear:

"God became man and dwelt amongst us"

As a baby in Bethlehem, possibly, yes, but also as every loving word spoken, and every compassionate act undertaken,  by every incarnate soul, that ever lived. Me. You. Everyone.

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