Snow on the ground, lights in the tree, fruit cake soaking up the Bourbon, Champagne on the chill, family to arrive in the morning and only a few gifts left to wrap. That’s what I call a great prelude to Christmas, and God has allowed me to arrive at this very reality. We celebrate Christ Jesus, our Savior Born.
Let’s not get bogged down about the actual point in our time line when Mary gave birth to Jesus. Let’s avoid quibbling about the reality of His Existence. Let’s even evade justifying why we put up such a fuss on 25 December every year. I know why I do, and you are free to find your own reasons.
One of mine is a very small thing in the greater scheme of life and history. Writing a blog, and that blog only being about vocal things, makes my thing shrink even smaller. I am still going to jump up and down… only a few times because of my advanced years. Those few jumps will be for joy that a year has come full circle from the birth of this little blog. One year ago I would not have guessed that my subscribers would be so numerous. Some time ago the large number of update announcements caused my email server to block them all. I never knew about email per hour limits. Now that I do, everyone who signed up, (thanks for doing so) should get a heads up about this Christmas blog. I’ll do one jump, at least, for that.
The year was a great time trip. It was interesting writing, corresponding, teaching and learning. That learning thing keeps me humble and young at heart. No small thing for a tenor. Anyway, I have learned that I have so much to say and so little talent for saying it. I keep learning that fact every time I face my computer screen wanting to put my thoughts in rational order, and, even after coming to some grudging contentment with the results, my wife, Debbie, has the best editing talent for finding weaknesses in my texts. I need her in many ways. Being my net for this high wire act is only a small sample.
The year even had a trip to Europe that I blogged about. Travel is a great education, and I am happy to say that my expectation to learn things was well fulfilled. Those things may not all be positive, but one, that good and possibly great voices are not extinct, was a welcome revelation. That is worth at least one lift of the Champagne glass.
Thanks for following my writing efforts.
I want to be useful. If I can be useful to you, I will call it a blessing. Don’t get me wrong. It would be a blessing for me.
PS. It is now Twenty four hours later than when I started this blog. Six hours have passed since Christmas Day began in Plattsburgh. I got the last gifts wrapped, a lot of the little bit of snow that decorated yesterday morning is gone, items chilling and soaking are still undisturbed and family is still going to arrive…. Unlike me they may be on time. I let Midnight pass without posting this blog which is only explainable. Not excusable. But….
God knows my heart, and knew that I had to get to bed on Christmas Eve and get those gifts wrapped and this blog done early on His Birthday. I fell asleep trying to count my blessings…. I’m afraid I only got through the top of my list. Christ, Debbie, Dot… well I drifted off and can’t remember any of the other visions my dreams brought me. Life is good and everything else hangs on those top three.