Merry Xmas Everybody (Oasis)

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

Received the following text from Sarah at the beginning of the week:

Hi Family! Wanted to chat regarding Christmas Eve Day. Whoever is free, could maybe come over for a pajama brunch at 10 am? I was going to make pumpkin pancakes, decorate a Gingerbread house, read the Polar Express, Hot Chocolate, leave cookies and milk for Santa and have a dance party to holiday music :)

And we (well, unfortunately Eric had to work, but the rest of us) really did do all that yesterday (✔✔✔✔✔✔✔).  She made sure the pancakes were vegan; we sipped on homemade (also vegan) coquito (a coconut-flavored eggnog which we used to drink when we lived in Puerto Rico) that a co-worker of hers had made and gifted her for Christmas; I wore my mother's red nightshirt printed with little white snowflakes atop my Christmas lights leggings; we were each supposed to choose three holiday songs for the dance party (mine were Santa Claus is Coming to Town covered by Bruuuuuuce, Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen, and Juliana Hatfield's Make It Home, which I first heard on an episode of My So-Called Life a bazillion years ago); Rob read from his copy of The Polar Express, given to him by my "friendRobby" (that's what they called each other) when he was four; the gingerbread house is constructed and still has to be decorated (later today!). 

When I walked down to my car to head home, I discovered that my battery was dead; someone (me!) had left their headlights on.  thankyoujesus for AAA, and Brandon to the rescue.  Quick fix, and a lesson on perspective.

Came home to a nap, then my walk (got rained on; f*ck it, I kept going!), a hot shower, leftover chili for dinner, and finally curled up with Love Actually, which I hadn't watched yet this season.  Oh, and wrapped presents (i.e. put in gift bags and topped with tissue paper.  Ha!).

Today we are headed back to Sarah's (as soon as I hit Send!), still masked, still socially-distant, doors and windows open, for our present exchange.  Temps will have dropped substantially, with a high of 60, and a low of 43; mmmm, time to drag out the FUggs (Faux Uggs... ;-)  I've been watching Martha Stewart's new show on HGTV (Martha Knows Best) and bought all the fixings to make Marthatinis.  Yum!

We also have a short Zoom call planned with extended family in the Atlanta area (zippity!), and will order Chinese food to be delivered about 4 or 5 p.m. and take it outside to eat.

Wishing you all a most spectacular holiday, however and with whomever you decide to spend it, and love Love and MORE LOVE... 💞

SONG:  Merry Xmas Everybody by Oasis

BOOK:  Merry Christmas Everybody! (A Sesame Street Golden Super Shape Book) by Constance Allen, David Prebenna (Illustrator)

POEM:  When Giving Is All We Have by Alberto Rios

                                              One river gives

                                              Its journey to the next.

We give because someone gave to us.

We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.

We give because giving could have changed us.

We have been better for it,

We have been wounded by it—

Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,

Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.

Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,

But we read this book, anyway, over and again:

Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,

Mine to yours, yours to mine.

You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.

Together we are simple green. You gave me

What you did not have, and I gave you

What I had to give—together, we made

Something greater from the difference.

QUOTE:  "Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around." ~ the opening lines of Love Actually, spoken by Hugh Grant's character (which always make me cry, and last night was no exception)

Simple Gifts (Gregg Cagno and Maggie Anderson)

Obviously we are all smarting from these recessionist times - the election of Barack Obama is a very good thing (Martha!)... but it's going to take time to turn the economy around.

I have been out of work for almost two months, we will spend a good bit of money traveling to South Carolina/Georgia for the holidays and we are still in the midst of bathroom repair/renovation - enough said!

We had a family meeting a few months ago and decided we were going to set a $15 limit on presents for each other (as well as extended family and friends) - it's actually been quite fun sneaking, planning and buying within boundaries... and outside the proverbial box...

Cheers to the gift of creativity... :-)

SONG: Simple Gifts as sung by Gregg Cagno and Maggie Anderson (backstory and lyrics of the Shaker song here...)

BOOK: Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case For A More Joyful Christmas by Bill McKibben

POEM: Christmas 1963 by Joseph Enzweiler

Because we wanted much that year
and had little. Because the winter phone
for days stayed silent that would call
our father back to work, and he
kept silent too with our mother,
fearfully proud before us.

Because I was young that morning
in gray light untouched on the rug
and our gifts were so few, propped
along the furniture, for a second
my heart fell, then saw how large
they made the spaces between them

to take the place of less. Because
the curtained sun rose brightly
on our discarded paper and the things
themselves, these forty years,
have grown too small to see, the emptiness
measured out remains the gift,

fills the whole room now, that whole year
out across the snowy lawn. Because
a drop of shame burned quietly
in the province of love. Because
we had little that year
and were given much.

QUOTE: "The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." ~ Burton Hillis

Give a Little (Nicolette Larson)

Today's DailyOM

September 19, 2008

Recognizing Our Own Abundance

Planting The Seeds Of Generosity

The most difficult time to be generous is when we ourselves are feeling poor. While some of us have experienced actually being in the red financially, there are those of us who would feel broke even if we had a million dollars in the bank. Either way, as the old adage goes, it is always in giving that we receive. Meaning that when we are living in a state of lack, the very gesture we may least want to give is the very act that could help us create the abundance that we seek. One way to practice generosity is to give energy where it is needed. Giving money to a cause or person in need is one way to give energy. Giving attention, love, or a smile to another person are other acts of giving that we can offer. After all, there are people all over the world that are hungry for love.

Sometimes when we practice generosity, we practice it conditionally. We might be expecting to “receive back” from the person to whom we gave. We might even become angry or resentful if that person doesn’t reciprocate. However, trust in the natural flow of energy, and you will find yourself practicing generosity with no strings attached. This is the purest form of giving. Remember that what you send out will always come back you. Selflessly help a friend in need without expecting them to return the same favor in the same way, and know that you, too, will receive that support from the universe when you need it. Besides, while giving conditionally creates stress (because we are waiting with an invisible balance sheet to receive our due), giving unconditionally creates and generates abundance. We give freely, because we trust that there is always an unlimited supply.

Being aware of how much we are always supported by the universe is one of the keys to abundance and generosity. Consciously remember the times you’ve received support from expected and unexpected sources. Remember anyone who has helped you when you’ve needed it most, and bless all situations that come into your life for the lessons and gifts they bring you. Remember that all things given and received emanate from generosity. Giving is an act of gratitude. Plant the seeds of generosity through your acts of giving, and you will grow the fruits of abundance for yourself and those around you.

I've been working on this blog post since last Friday, trying to find the perfect mesh of themed selections, as well as processing what generosity means to me. It was mentioned in a Words for All Ages story at church the other day that sharing is easy when you already have more than you need - the point of giving is to sacrifice a bit as well.

This lesson was driven home yesterday, with Marti Forman, head of Broward County's Cooperative Feeding Program, during our UU Sunday service - I am proud to say I helped coordinate the event, taking the suggestion of having her speak for a few minutes on the Empty Bowls project and extrapolating it to a full program, with Marti giving the sermon.

The kids did a Stone Soup re-enactment... and we painted bowls after the service (to be baked later and used for the fundraiser) - the most impactful, though, was Marti's talk... as she told stories of various clients of all genders, ages and income levels, and the unfortunate decline in donations over the last year and the damaging effects of less food to spread to more people. The entire sanctuary was weeping (as was Marti during her delivery) - the good news is that we raised almost $500 among us for the CFP... and we've rededicated ourselves to making a major commitment to eradicate hunger in Broward County.

The concert series I coordinate has always asked patrons to bring a non-perishable food item in addition to regular admission, and we will emphasize that even more from now on - I would also like to volunteer with Marti at least once a month in some capacity.

Really... this hit so close to home - "there but for the grace of god" indeed...

P.S. I've been distracted/worried all day, because my mom is in the hospital having an outpatient biopsy to check some enlarged lymph nodes in her lung area (thank goodness my sister and brother are there with her) - if it's inflammation, they'll treat with steroids... if it's infection, they'll treat with antibiotics... and we're not really dealing with the third possibility: cancer. I heard from my sister that Mom was being moved to the Recovery Room and they'd have test results in 3 to 5 days - Mari then called back, saying Mom has pneumothorax (a collapsed lung) and they were keeping her in the hospital. An Internet search says it could be a result of her COPD... or possibly a complication from today's surgical procedure - whatever the case, any thoughts/prayers/candles are much appreciated for Connie's swift and smooth recuperation.

SONG: Give a Little by Nicolette Larson

BOOK: The Giving Heart: Unlocking the Transformative Power of Generosity in Your Life by M. J. Ryan

POEM: The Gift by William Stafford

Time wants to show you a different country. It's the one

that your life conceals, the one waiting outside

when curtains are drawn, the one Grandmother hinted at

in her crochet design, the one almost found

over at the edge of the music, after the sermon.

It's the way life is, and you have it, a few years given.

You get killed now and then, violated

in various ways. (And sometimes it's turn about.)

You get tired of that. Long-suffering, you wait

and pray, and maybe good things come - maybe

the hurt slackens and you hardly feel it any more.

You have a breath without pain. It is called happiness.

It's a balance, the taking and passing along,

the composting of where you've been and how people

and weather treated you. It's a country where

you already are, bringing where you have been.

Time offers this gift in its millions of ways,

turning the world, moving the air, calling,

every morning, "Here, take it, it's yours."

QUOTE: "From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." ~ Arthur Ashe