Christmas – Isaiah Jacobs

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

“A Christmas Tree Lights the Night”
(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!

Merry Christmas!

“For to us a child is born, to us a a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas my friends! Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus many years ago. He was born a baby who grew into a man sharing His Ministry throughout the land. He was God’s Son. He was crucified for our sins so we would have a choice of heaven or not, when we die.

You can learn more about this at Peace With God.

We hope you have a blessed Christmas!

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Christmas/Holiday Shopping

Thankfully, it has been years since I have gone shopping on Black Friday. When I was first married, we were watching our pennies as most young newly married couples do. We paid attention to the Black Friday sales to get a few items we wanted. I’ll never forget the crowds, nor will I forget us shoving a computer and monitor in their large boxes into a Honda Civic. We’ve gone Black Friday shopping a few other times, but they weren’t quite as funny as that first one.

As I have aged, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) has progressed, which means life becomes more challenging. As it does, walking and some neurological aspects become more of a challenge. The walking meant it was getting harder for me to get around much less go shopping in a crowded store or mall. I didn’t understand the nerve issues of CMT until much later in life, frankly a few years ago. I would be nervous or keyed up whenever I was in crowds. However, I was a bit stubborn and would push myself to do the Christmas shopping.

Since I didn’t want my family and friends to be disappointed with no gift from me at Christmas, and online shopping didn’t exist, I had to determine a way to accomplish the task of gift-buying.

First, I do my absolute very best to get all of my Christmas shopping done VERY early. I start shopping early in the year by buying gifts whenever I see something I think someone would like. I would do my best to get all the shopping done before Thanksgiving. As I grew older, time got busier, it became a bit challenging to get it done before Thanksgiving. With that being said, I determined a way to get it done.

Make a list of gifts to purchase and where to buy them. I determined whether I could buy all the gifts at one store or at a mall with several stores or even all at one mall. I made sure to write all of this down on a piece of paper so I wouldn’t forget whenever I ended up going out shopping. These days, there are probably apps for that which can replace the piece of paper. There were a few times when I would end up going somewhere with a friend and I could get some shopping done.

I have a habit of determining when stores, and parking lots, are the least busy. I like to determine when I would likely be able to get in and out of stores and parking lots without much stress avoiding crowds would be awesome. This turned out to be during lunch hours, immediately after work (though on Fridays that never worked), or very early Saturday morning.

Also, would it be possible to go with friends who could help with the driving in the crazy parking lots or help carry stuff if needed.

Using these, I would get the Christmas shopping done. It was a bit more enjoyable since I avoided the stresses of crowds and trying to find a parking spot.

Of course, these days, the best way for me to shop is online. I rarely go shopping these days.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Happy Birthday, Jesus! Merry Christmas!

Several years ago, I heard a cute Christmas song sung by a group of children at my church. The main verse or thought of the song was “Happy Birthday Jesus!” Over the years, I have known some friends who use the greeting and have grown to like it quite a bit. After all, Christmas is the Birthday of Jesus.

The Birthday of Jesus was an incredibly phenomenal Gift from God to man. He came to earth, lived 33 years teaching about God, and was crucified on a cruel cross to save man from his sins. While it is as simple as that, there are a few things you must do to receive God’s Forgiveness. First, you have to believe in Jesus, confess your sins, and begin following Him.

If you would like to learn more about Jesus, God, and the Bible, please visit Peace With God.

So Happy Birthday, Jesus! I am happy you were born.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth and Christmas

“Merry Christmas!”
Photo by **Brett Sayles** from **Pexels**

What do Christmas and Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) have in common? Not much actually. However, the stress of the holidays, and the days leading up to it, can make you so tired you’ll want to sleep through it.

My brother used to work some long hours during the Christmas Season to make sure his customers had everything they wanted and more. It was commendable of him and his customers loved him. However, what was not known or seen was how much it all worn him out.

Unfortunately, for me and the rest of the family, he would be too tired to celebrate Christmas with us. He would, invariably every Thanksgiving and Christmas, sleep through the day. He had CMT too. I believe that it caused him to be very tired so he needed a lot of rest when he could get it.

Christmas comes but once a year. We never know what the future will hold. Family and friends will not always be around. If you have elderly parents, they may not be around next Christmas. Not to be gloom and doom, but something to think about. We should spend the time with those we love now, not put it off.

Why not get some extra rest before Christmas Day? Maybe go to bed early? Have a friend help you with the last-minute details for Christmas? Would family and friends be willing to celebrate Christmas later in the day so you can join them? Those are a few ideas to help you enjoy the day and your friends and family to enjoy YOU.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Why I Don’t Like Office Christmas Parties… and Most Others

“An Office Christmas Party!”
Photo by Eugene Zhyvchik on Unsplash

It’s not that I am a Scrooge or an antisocial curmudgeon that wants everybody never to party again. Or that there should never be office parties. Well, maybe as an introvert, I am a bit anti-social but I think that comes along with my personality.

When I was working in an office setting, I kept my health issues to myself. The reasons for that will be shared in another post. However, doing so caused me to be wary about many known factors I have with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) which can be so embarrassing that I prefer to avoid any situations or events which could cause them to be displayed.

What factors? These:

The first one is my inability to ALWAYS control what my feet will do. As you might know too, I can be walking when all of a sudden I trip over nothing. Yes, nothing. There is nothing on the ground. As far as I can tell the ground is level. However, I have tripped on nothing repeatedly. It’s usually pretty funny to the observer when I am doing my best effort to recover without falling down on the ground. I can just see myself with a full plate of food, or two, finding a place without looking for it to trip and throw my food across the room. It would only be funny if the food fell on my least favorite co-worker or maybe the annoying boss, but I didn’t say that.

The second one is my inability to ALWAYS control my hands. While most of the time, I don’t have much trouble with them, there are moments when I drop things. These moments seem to be increasing as time goes forward. I don’t like being embarrassed by doing some perceived as stupid, no one does. So trying to balance a plate of food while selecting what I want to eat, trying not to drop the utensil used to get the food to my plate, and walking forward without stumbling is not on my list for a fun activity.

The third one is the inability to balance my plate of food, put food on it, and talk to someone else while doing it all. Crazy sounding isn’t it? I have never understood those people at potluck luncheons or social events who can talk to everyone about everything while simultaneously placing food on a plate without dropping one little bit. I would have food everywhere with maybe a little on my plate.

My guess is the deterioration of the nervous system from CMT is the culprit behind my dislike of these social events. It is something I can’t help nor is there much I can do about it. At work, I would do whatever I could to avoid the event including taking the day off or offering to run the office while the rest enjoyed their time. That was always my favorite thing to do. However, I have yet to find a “fix” to this problem. Avoiding them isn’t always the best answer because I think it offends people but that’s really the best I can do.

I will consider attending a social event with pot luck luncheon, or whatever they are called these days, with my wife. She is good about helping me with carrying my plate and drink. She seems to have learned to manage the fine line of helping but not embarrassing me. Though, to be honest, I’m grateful for her help. She isn’t doing anything as embarrassing as I would be by tripping and throwing food all over the place. My luck, it’d be on someone I didn’t like to start with.

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I enjoy the Christmas season with all its decorations and beautiful music. I have quite a few memories of Christmases from my childhood with my parents who made the season a special time. My parents taught me that Christmas is more than gifts and decorations.

Most of all, I am very thankful for the Birth of Jesus Christ, for His saving me from my sins, and for the Promise of eternal life in heaven when I die. The Christmas season to me is a celebration of His Birth, especially Christmas Day! The greatest Christmas Gift ever was God sending His Son Jesus as a Baby to be born on earth and live among people. At the early age of 36, Jesus was crucified on a rugged cross for our sins. It’s hard for me to believe that God or Jesus would care enough for me and where I spend eternity to do that for me. BUT, He did.

A great resource to learn more about God’s Plan of Salvation for man is Peace With God.

What…Cancel Christmas???

“Glory to God in the Highest … the Nativity”
Photo by David Beale on Unsplash

Christmas is such an amazing time of year, a time when people smile at each other no matter how long the line is to make their purchase. A time when people look for the perfect tree or the perfect gift. A time when delicious smells waft through kitchens all around the world.

Now I hear that Christmas might be canceled. I find that hard to believe. However, with our government closing stores, restaurants, not allowing large gatherings for birthday parties, funerals, etc., Christmas most certainly seems like it will be next.

We look forward to hearing that one special song that, for each one of us, says…”Christ is coming.” Christmas carolers, Christmas pies, Christmas stockings, and Christmas lights, will this be the year they disappear?

Trees, wreaths, cookies, stars, presents, what says Christmas to you? When you see a bright star in the sky does that make you think of our Savior’s birth? Do you ever tire of hearing the story of Jesus’ birth with Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the Maji?

Shepherds, now there was a motley crew. Working with sheep is a smelly dirty job. And dressing for work would not have to do with putting on your best duds. Then one night as the shepherds bedded down the sheep and were sitting around a fire, something amazing happened. An angel appeared and the previously dark sky was alive with light. They cowered in fear, but then the angel said, “fear not” and the fear left them and they became still and listened. And what a story the angel would tell these shepherds, not the people in town, not the merchants, not even the rabbi, God chose shepherds to hear the glorious message of the Birth of His Son. How appropriate as His Son would come to be known as the Great Shepherd.

Cancel Christmas…I don’t think so, for the spirit of Christmas lives in you.

Let’s share the joy, the hope, and the love of Christmas with everyone we meet.

To learn about Jesus Birth and the Christian life, please visit Peace With God.

About the author: Kim Kirby is a writer and lives in Virginia. Her writing reflects her belief and faith in Jesus. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors, especially the mountains.

Black Friday Sales and Charcot-Marie-Tooth

“Black Friday Savings Sale!”
Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

When I was younger, many decades ago now, I enjoyed going shopping to find the perfect Christmas presents for friends and family. In later years, especially for my wife. However, each year it became more challenging for me to go to the malls and shop. As most people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) know, the disease is progressive and always changing adding a new challenge.

In the early years of life, I didn’t understand that these changes were happening nor did I realize that they would cause everyday tasks or stuff like Christmas shopping to become so challenging. Of course, this was back in the day when there wasn’t as much information about CMT as we only had what the doctors knew. I remember looking it up in the encyclopedia to find a short paragraph.

My type of CMT causes issues with the nerves. Yes, most of CMT does that, but some types have more nerve-based problems. Now that I understand that, I am understanding why finding a parking place and going shopping at the malls or stores have become so challenging. It literally is an exhaustingly tiring task which is a chore to do. Make sense? At first, I thought it was that I was getting lazy or even apathetic.

So what to do? Back decades ago, I would plan to get my Christmas shopping done early with the goal of having it all done by December 1 at the latest. This worked great! I didn’t have the crowds to maneuver nor was finding a parking place a challenge. I could easily go to the stores or mall and shop and leave.

However, over the years my health progressively got worse and it became more of a challenge to go to the malls or other stores too. Of course, I was hugely blessed by being able to go with someone else. I needed to begin finding a much easier way to purchase gifts.

For a few years, as physical challenges became a problem, I bought many friends gift cards to their favorite stores. That worked for most people, but there were always a few who were insulted because they didn’t understand my issues about shopping. And, I have always kept my health issues personal. Cash can work too.

A few years ago, I began to realize that shopping online was a great resource for people like me who find going to the stores very challenging. I can usually pick out what I want without too much hassle. I like that I can view the product, read the descriptions, and in some cases read reviews from others who purchased. Of course, you have to be careful with that because some people complain about everything and give bad reviews or comments just to do so. I use the comments when I am not sure if a product is what I want. Sometimes it helps. For a few people, I will ask them if they show me what they would like online. I like that I can order it and have it delivered to my home. These days, in most cases, you can save the shipping and handling charges and pick it up in the parking lot of the store. Picking up at the store keeps you from having to walk through the store and there are usually plenty of parking spaces reserved for online orders.

Merry Christmas My Friends!

“Merry Christmas”
*(C) Isaiah Jacobs, All Rights Reserved*

I pray that you will have a blessed and very Merry Christmas!

I will be spending the day sharing a few presents with my wife and taking my father-in-law to lunch somewhere. After the loss of my parents, brother, and mother-in-law, Christmas has been a challenge because it brings back so many wonderful memories. Now, the celebration feels like it’s always missing something. However, we celebrate and enjoy our time together.

And, after lunch with my father-in-law, my wife and I will head home and probably enjoy a nap!