(C) Photo by Tim Mossholder
As it seems to be the usual routine for me when the year is coming to an end, the last three months of 2023 were unbelievably busy. I don’t know how I ever worked in an office and got anything done, as I wouldn’t have had time these last few months.
I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Mine were nice and quiet- my favorite way to spend a day. The holiday season started with a Thanksgiving dinner at the Skyland Restaurant in the Shenandoah National Park. We were joined by my best friend Ed, whom I met in my college years. My wife, a family friend who didn’t make it this year, and I will probably make this our traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It would be awesome if Ed got to join us, too. After we ate, we drove the Skyline Drive from the restaurant to the Harrisonburg area and returned home. The solace of nature is a blessing even in the winter months.
Ed came to visit the week before Thanksgiving. We spent the week roaming Skyline Drive and a bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We’d pull off at various overlooks to enjoy the view. While driving, we chatted about our college days and wondered about whatever happened to this or that person. Ed is the type of friend everyone with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), or any other disability for that matter, wants. He doesn’t let my disability prevent us from doing stuff and having fun. On numerous occasions, he would give me a helping hand as he knew the terrain coming up was a bit challenging. Also, when CMT frustrates me with its new antics, I can chat with him as much as I need. He’s a very good listener and has often provided God’s Words of Wisdom just as I needed it without being preachy.
Christmas was a little different this year. My wife and I bought a new Christmas tree and ornaments. The one we have is buried somewhere in the garage, along with ornaments and decorations that are older than civilization itself. I enjoy decorating for the season, however, I do not relish the idea of putting an artificial tree together followed by stringing lights around making it look balanced and nice. Oh, and beautiful, too. I will never be like a buddy of mine who has an enormous tree and thousands of decorations. Though it looks great, it’s too much. My wife and I exchanged gifts the old-fashioned way this year. They were wrapped, placed under the tree, and opened in a celebratory fashion on Christmas. It was a nice way to celebrate the Birth of Jesus.
We are still working on the new tradition as our last living family member went on to heaven, so it’s now the two of us. We invited a friend to join us and went to Founding Farmer’s restaurant in Northern Virginia for our Christmas dinner. Our friend was great company and helped make the celebration more fun. I got to sit in the backseat of our car while my wife drove and our friend rode shotgun. Worked great for me as I enjoyed looking out the window and thanking God when we left suburbia and returned to the country!
A few days after New Year’s, I got to spend a few hours with a young man I call my grandson; more about that in a later post. We had breakfast at a local Chick-fil-A and talked for a few hours. He is one of those guys who is very popular, has a large family, and always has something to do somewhere with someone at any given time of any day of the entire calendar year. So, I cherish the few hours he can squeeze in to spend with me. It’s been an amazing journey to watch what started out as a “joke” or having fun with the age difference between us to become great friends, something God has definitely been in the middle of pulling together.
Every year, I think that I will spend the holiday season differently by celebrating the birth of Jesus by attending various church events, going for a drive to enjoy Christmas lights, or doing something special that makes the season fun. No sooner have I thought it and the season is gone… again.
I hope yours was fun. Here’s to a great 2024!