Friday, December 18, 2020

Dear Marion,

Hope. I have been quite fortunate for many reasons but I have to say in large part due to my desire for and belief in hope. This time of year is of course when you hear about hope the most but it is needed year-round and 2020 is no exception. A few weeks ago, I overheard your granddaughter speaking to a friend. She said this is my plan if I don’t pass the driving test...her focus was to not focus or count on passing but to think about what she would do if she didn’t pass. That way if she didn’t pass, she wouldn’t be disappointed… manage her expectations. From the backseat of the car her friend concurred, when I asked why not focus on the positive, they both claimed that managing expectations were definitely the way to go forward. This was not the first time I’ve heard a teenager manage their expectations in that way instead of focusing on achieving the desired goal, but it was the first time I heard it from your granddaughter. Interesting. Maybe it is simply your glass of milk half full or half empty or the result of this unique year of 2020.

  I have been reading “Love Is The Way,” by Bishop Michael Curry. I always find him to be uplifting, engaging, and real. He explained that while faith is another word for trust, hope is why you try, why you work hard in school, and why you work hard for your family. This sharing of a good book between us has been going on as long as I can remember and it has always filled me with hope. Out of the blue, you called me at work years ago to tell me about a book you had just purchased and wanted me to read but could not remember the name. I responded that I’m reading a great book right now that I think you would love too. You blurted out I remember, “Eat, Pray, Love” and I burst out laughing as it was the same book I was reading. 

  Hope comes in and from surprising places and often it involves my desire to be heard. An acknowledgment that I am not alone in my way of thinking or my desire to make a change that I think will benefit me and quite possibly the people I care about in the long run. Hope brings me joy and sometimes even butterflies in my being. I set on a mission this past week to find “The Nativity” at a local church after driving by and not getting as close a look as I wanted. It then pushed me into driving to witness other Nativity scenes within our surrounding communities. They were all beautiful, I even discovered one on someone’s lawn with Frosty the Snowman looking on as though he were narrating The Christmas Story. Driving home, I was filled with hope for things to get better even during these most challenging times. Hope is a beautiful word and it’s what gives me a spring in my step. It’s not a wish for me, it is something I pray for but not for a specific result. It’s more of a leap of faith that will result in something better, maybe even better than I can dream or create in my mind.

  It was probably before I could drive that we first stumbled across an incredible light display leading up to and leading away from a private stable and ranch. The tiny white lights were perfectly draped in and around each evergreen along the roadside and it appeared to line up for miles. Somewhere in the middle was the drive entrance and they opened it up to the public. At the end of the drive, there lay The Nativity in a stable with live animals and the most beautiful statues. As I remember it, music was piped in through the experience and it rendered everyone speechless. Each year, drew a bigger crowd and people were willing to wait long amounts of time quietly for this experience. This road was only two lanes and surrounded by other farms, we could see the glow of light long before we reached the lit trees. That was a magical memory and one that I hope my children have and will experience sometime in their lifetime. Not that I mean that exact experience but the joy that it brought to me, everyone should feel a moment that brings pure joy to them.

  We have been working hard to create a feeling of tradition and Christmas this week and that has been in part to our cookie extravaganza. This year we are baking and creating cookie bags, boxes, and tins to share with family, neighbors, and friends. Tonight we are tackling the Cones or “Krumkake” cookies. Last year was the first year we tried on our own to some success but of course, we have not yet hit the high bar of edible perfection you set for us…though I have hope for this year.

  This next year is full of the unknown, so much change is in store, global health, the resulting economy, and a need and a struggle for inclusivity and understanding between communities. The kids tease me about my love for Lester Holt, the anchor for 6:30 pm news on NBC, I verbally(out loud) thank him at the end of the newscast. He always ends with something hopeful that resonates for me….I work hard for the glass half full and I have hope that I will continue to do that going forward.

Merry Christmas. God Jul.

Talk soon,

Forever Yours

Quote:

“God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Roman Catholic nun and missionary

Founder of the Missionaries of Charity

1910-1997