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“Hey!” Unto you a child is born!”

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Victoria Advocate: A Different Perspective

At Morada East, Judah Gonzales, a teenager from West High sings for the Thanksgiving party.

In my mind, one of the hardest columns to write is the week of Thanksgiving. Practically speaking, it needs to be written before the holiday, but by the time readers get it, Thanksgiving festivities are already in the rearview mirror.
‘Tis the season to be thankful! Dave and I enjoyed a pleasant evening at Morada for an early Thanksgiving party. The menu lived up to its billing, and the entertainment was wonderful. Fifteen-year-old West High teen, Judah Gonzales (with an s) sang an extensive set of songs made popular when Morada residents were in their heyday. Glory, but he could sing! He belted out those familiar love songs with gusto and plenty of talent. His dad Stephen acted as his soundman and general let’s-stay-calm manager. I teared up when Judah sang “Moon River.” Of all the songs of that era, that one reminds me the most of my parents. Then, of course, he sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” a song my husband still sings. Such fond reminiscing.
And since I’m enjoying the holiday season without a writing deadline looming, I’ve tackled two long-neglected projects. Maybe not the best timing, but when an opportunity presents itself…
The first project I’ve named the Declutter Movement. Funny how things pile up until one day all you see is the mess. I started small. The mudroom had collected a plethora of junk, and surprisingly enough, it only took an hour to tug the chaos into order. The hardest part is knowing where to put oddball tools, a veritable legion of plant seeds, and other miscellany. Feeling quite virtuous, I found batteries and put them alongside our collection of flashlights.   
Next, I tackled the dining room. The drawers of the build-in buffet weren’t so terrible. But when I yanked every blasted item out of the six cabinets underneath, the piles multiplied. It didn’t help that I’d thrown away perfectly good boxes only days before. After pitching countless items, I repurposed the old containers, filled them with giveaway items, and called it done. Not perfect, but much tidier than before. I’m taking a break this week, but the kitchen and pantry room will happen next.   
If the Declutter Movement wasn’t enough, I also made a call for professional help for my flowerbed. It stayed Texas-hot far too long this year and messed with my landscaping timeline. After we chose plants and rocks, the actual work began. And I only had to multi-task between desk work and flowerbed questions for three days.
Amid the two works-in-progress, I took Mom and her friend Les to see “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at Cinemark. It’s the story of five children—“The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.”—and how they got involved in a tired, terribly churchy Christmas pageant and changed it for everyone. When we lived in East Texas, I discovered this story and read it to my family, my students, our ladies’ Bible study group, and anyone else who would listen. So I was especially excited to view this latest rendition of a classic.
I was pleased to note the movie captured the magic of the original story. The producers didn’t water down the authentic meaning of Christmas. It showed tangible evidence of how the birth of Jesus affected one family—and several others by association.
My hope for each of my readers this season is that you spend time with those you love best, and also have quiet moments to savor the birth of our Lord. So you can announce like Gladys Herdman (aka, Angel of the Lord) “with her skinny legs and her dirty sneakers sticking out from under her robe, yelling at all of us, everywhere: ‘Hey, unto you a Child is born!’”
And maybe purchase your own copy of the book and read it to your kids.     
 

Bubbles, Mr. Gatti’s, and more precious moments

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Victoria Advocate, A Different Perspective

Annabelle and Ria making bubbles at Morada East

This past weekend, our two oldest granddaughters had a sleepover at Mamaw’s. Long overdue. I’d planned rainy day projects, but those got scuttled when the weather turned to sunny days with intermittent showers instead of the deluge we were expecting.

We watched movies and visited with their great grandmother. Gigi’s “special friend” had received a bubble machine for his 90th birthday, so the girls and I rode on the back of the golf cart and took turns sharing bubbles with the retirement village. The tiny bubbles popped like cool pinpricks on our hot skin. The residents enjoyed our activity. Gigi also had charms that needed to be put on chains for the girls, but I was too fumble-fingered to accomplish it. Not to worry. Ten-year-old Annabelle politely took the needle-nose pliers away from me, and with her sharper vision and deft fingers, she attached the charms to the chains. Voila! The girls had new necklaces.

Then our son called and asked if we wanted to join him and his boys at Mr. Gatti’s. When the girls hesitated, I assured them it would be fun. The desire to see their cousins won out, so off we went. After purchasing buffets for all, we headed into the Theater room where Disney movies showed nonstop on a big screen with plenty of tables and chairs. I guided the girls through the buffet, and they loved making their own choices. Once they ate, Uncle Phil had purchased cards with credit on them to use in the arcade room. The bumper cars were a favorite. It was a Friday night, but not so crowded we couldn’t enjoy it. After another buffet round, we called it a wrap. Yay for another family friendly event in Victoria.  

At home, Annabelle and I finished watching “Where the Red Fern Grows,” while Ria and Papa made cookies. I was much older the first time I watched the movie and cried my eyes out over the ending. It surprised me how well they took it in stride, but they’ve had lizards, birds, and rabbits meet untimely demises. Most likely, it accounted for their understanding.

The next morning, we planned to go to the mall, but once again, Uncle Phil came to the rescue. He picked up the girls and took them to the park. They made good use of the playscape, then he challenged them to a footrace. By the time they met us at the food court at the mall, their complexions were pink with the exertion. We ordered Chick fil A, then walked through Murdoch’s to see the chicken coops. I wanted to stop in TJ Maxx, but Phil said that was boring and took the kids for cookies.  

Once we arrived back home, it was time to pack up and drive to meet their mom. We refer to our halfway point as the “Gonzales run.” The girls enjoyed their visit but looked forward to seeing cousins from the other side of the family.

Funny how their visit seemed both long and short. Long because I’m not used to kid noise and movement like I once was. Short because it seemed they were only here for a blink of an eye, then they were gone.  

As I do my daily Bible reading, I’m astounded at the parallels between ancient history and what we face today. It’s scary how little humanity has learned in the intervening years. Yet there are precious moments as well. The smiles and funny remarks our grandchildren make. An answer to prayer with our goddaughter announcing her first pregnancy. And good news about a friend’s child who’s going through a difficult divorce.

Despite the world’s craziness, there is much to look forward to. When I keep my eyes on the One who holds the world in His hands, I find those precious moments.