Almost Christmas

So it is almost Christmas and to me it feels as though it could be any other time of year. You know all those movies where the main story involves a couple trying to avoid Christmas? Well I feel the exact opposite. I want to enjoy Christmas, but I just can't seem to find it anywhere. Maybe that's because I've been traveling from place to place these past few weeks, I don't know. It's kind of depressing in many ways because I do enjoy Christmas so much.

This year in many ways I have been frustrated about what Christmas has come to mean. I think that we have become way too materialistic. But while I feel that way and I think that, I have found myself caught up in the hustle and bustle of buying gifts too. Not showing up empty handed, as though there is a standard that I need to keep. Where is the balance and how do I find it? I have an alternate gift idea for friends and family, but yet I don't think it's enough. Why is that? Why can't we simply give each other the gift of love and companionship and let that be enough?

~Sigh~

Well I figure that I still have some time for it to really feel like Christmas. It could be that tomorrow night during the Christmas eve service when I'm surrounded by friends and family and celebrating the birth of Christ that the meaning of the season will kick in, but it's hard to say.

Cat's Out of the Bag

So I've been planning for more than a month now to come out to Colorado to surprise one of my best friends. And here I sit in her apartment after arriving yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, she had no idea that I was coming! That's one nice thing about her parents living close by. They were able to pick me up and deliver me very easily and I was very thankful for that!

It's hard for me to believe that I'm really out here in Colorado, one of my favorite places, hanging out with one of my most favorite people in the world.

I always love the time I get to spend with Elizabeth. I forget when we're not together just how similar we are. We're both incredibly graceful (hahaha). We both love to be outdoors. We both love to travel and see new places. We both have no idea what we want to do with our lives but we know that we want what we do to make a difference. We can be ourselves around each other and talk about anything and everything and know that whatever we say, whatever we do, it will be okay. We're pretty lucky to have found each other way back when right after we both graduated high school and ended up at the same workcamp in Puerto Rico. I just don't know what I'd do without her!

Blowin' in the Wind

For some reason this song has really struck a chord with me lately. So I thought I'd share!


"Blowin' In The Wind" (Bob Dylan)

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Copyright ©1962; renewed 1990 Special Rider Music

Snow

I love that when the weather here calls for snow that it does actually snow! Not like Virginia where they call for snow, and then school gets canceled because they think it's gonna be a big one and then it ends up being 60 degrees outside!

It's lovely when it's falling. As it glistens in the light. The way the wind makes it swirl to the ground. Wavy snowdrifts piling up all over the place in intricate patterns.

Pure white snow before it has been walked on or plowed is one of my favorite things. I don't consider there to be enough snow until the tips of the grasses are covered, which around here can take awhile because of all the longer grasses that grow.

I'm such a dork I know. But what can I say, I love the snow. I love to watch it fall. I love the silence it brings. Most of the people around here groan and say that I can have it all, that they don't want any of it! But I think it is absolutely beautiful.

I know that snow causes lots of problems, accidents on the roadways, extremely cold weather, but what can I say I'm an optimist when it comes to things such as snow. I'd rather focus on the pleasantries rather than some of the not so nice aspects.

It's a lesson that goes way beyond snow, but still, what else can I say other than I love snow!

Likes

One of my good friends takes time most everyday to write down the good parts of the day. I think it's a great thing to do. Helps me to find the good things in life, both large and small, so I think I might do this from time to time...hope she doesn't mind! :)

Things I like:

riding the train, creating ice skating routines with my little cousins, baking Christmas cookies, waking up with a cat sleeping at my feet, SNOW!, the blooming rose bush in my office, curling up in a giant arm chair with a blanket and a good book, making Amish Friendship Bread, eating grilled cheese sandwiches grilled to perfection,