At Christmas Time

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the son of man appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! 

Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

I asked to learn this hymn first when I started voice lessons. I knew it was my Dad’s favourite and I wanted to sing it for him at Christmas. My teacher insisted I sing the last line without breaks and I just couldn’t do it due to my asthma. So it was also the last song I learned. My Dad loved it.

I sang it one last time for him as he lay dying right after Christmas last year. He couldn’t join in then, but now he gets to sing “Rejoice!” in heaven. Meanwhile, the rest of us joyfully remember the first coming of our Lord, Emmanuel at Christmas, and eagerly await His second coming.

While we wait, we keep busy. Or, at least, the children keep us busy. Our daughter is full of vim and vigour. She likes gymnastics, swimming, horse riding, baking, music, art, and playing with friends…as long as it is done her way. At six she sometimes surprises her parents by sitting still and acting all grown up. With her glasses, she looks very mature. But it only lasts a little while. Piano-playing is a particular point of dispute at this time. She really is good, but the drama gets in the way. Her reading is coming along well, but it frustrates her that she can’t read like her brother yet.

Our son shocks family and friends on the phone with his deep voice. Those of you who see him at Christmas may be more astonished by his height. He uses this to advantage on the basketball and tennis courts, as well as the soccer pitch, where he still excels, though I wish he’d stop outgrowing his shoes. Thankfully, he doesn’t need special shoes to play the piano, though he could use a “real” piano, his teacher tells us. It is a pleasure to hear him play even on a keyboard. He drives his Dad insane in the classroom – he really likes to talk…unfortunately, while the teacher is also talking. It’s just as well he does all his work well – in fact, he is doing mostly 8^th grade work while in 7^th grade.

My husband will be teaching at Gethsemane until May, when the school closes. At that time, he will either receive a new Call and we will move, or I will find a job, and we will move. We would like to remain here, if that is God’s will – it is not easy to uproot the family, as we well recall from 2010! Regardless of where we end up, the hubby would like to take one of his last master’s level classes this summer. Maybe in the summer upheaval, he will find inspiration for the subject of his thesis project…

In addition to planning our trip to Malawi with Mum, I’ve also been helping her sort through Dad’s slides, movies, papers, etc. I continue directing the church choir, teaching youth Sunday School, organizing youth events, and I ran a food drive in the fall. I didn’t write much for the first 9 months of the year, but I’ve tried to pick up the pieces of my writing career in the last few months. I join a group of friends every Friday afternoon and we type away at our manuscripts for a few hours. It’s not enough, but it’s a start.

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!