Leap Year

For me, leap year meant there was an extra day in my birth month. I was always a little jealous of people who were born on the 29th. It seemed like they got a lot of attention when I was a kid in school. I thought it would be neat to only have to count once every four years when adding up my age. Now I’m not so sure. I think I’ve earned all of the years I’ve lived, not just 1/4th of them. I also like the idea of listing those things I wish I had been able to leap over rather than experience. Here are a few of them:

* Being thought I was older because I was tall for my age.
* Walking out of my Algebra class because "everybody" else did.
* Having to apologize to the teacher the next day.
* Being afraid to tryout for parts in plays.
* Stopping piano lessons.
* Eating ravioli before hiking, having heat stroke, and avoiding ravioli for years after.
* Backing out of a girl’s choice dance after the guy said "yes".
* Not getting to the bathroom in time in kindergarten.
* Getting teased in a mean way in sixth grade.
* Feeling guilty for the mean things I also said and did.
* Wearing a mustard plaster when I had a chest cold.
* Being raised as an "only child".
* Landing on my knee three times when I fell down. (Three different occasions.)

But I guess, when I think about it, I really wouldn’t pass up very many of the experiences of life because they are a part of who I am today. Hopefully by next leap year I will have leapt into, instead of over, some new exciting times.
(Many thanks to Charnae for the idea. This is a take off from her wonderful post.)

Merry Little Christmas

(Photo: Nativity, 2005. Brittany as Mary; Stephanie in her reindeer hat, to the left, decided to be a goat.)

About 6 o'clock on Christmas morning 2007 the memories of Christmas celebrations in the past nudged their way through into my consciousness. I found myself weeping, a phenomenon currently common when either Art or I are feeling particularly vulnerable or emotionally tender. This time the realization that those earlier times were really past hit a soft place. I began thinking of the members of our family (and of our friends) one by one. I worried about struggles I knew about and "what ifs". (Worry is an old habit of mine, difficult to break.) That process felt way too hard, mostly because the problems of others are, for the most part, out of my control. Finally it came to me how grateful I am for each one. So I began naming each person in my circle of loved individuals one at a time. I thanked God for their strengths and asked him to bless lives according to his wisdom. The process took quite a long time. There were many strengths to list and each person is unique. I was struck again by the power residing within each of them. At that point, it didn't matter what the rest of the day would bring, I was content and at peace. BTW: The rest of the day was low-key and just right!