If I'd-a listened to my mama, good people, I would'n-a be here today. (Dock Boggs)

The above quote has no immediate relevance, really, but seemed like a good way to start off a blog entry. I realize that LiveJournal will automatically translate that into some horrid modern emo song when I post a copy there, but such is life.

I hope everyone out there is having a decently good Christmastide. I know a few folks who read this (involuntarily) regularly are spending it one degree or another of alone, be it because of traveling relatives or just general state of life. Anyway, I've been there and know it's sometimes a bit rough, here's hoping next year is better.

We here are having a pretty good Christmastide. We both went to the Christmass midnight mass, which turned out to be pretty well-attended. Fr. Theodore made his first Christmass in our parish memorable, albeit accidentally. One of the candles on the altar simply would not light and the angle was difficult, being not only high but also someone obscured by pointsettia plants. Normally one of the servers comes out and lights the candles before the mass , but the only server there was fairly short so Fr. Theodore came out to help get that last crazy candle. Some of the plants and other candles were temporarily moved in order to get to the difficult one. Unfortunately, in angling around and leaning back and whatever else he was doing to get to it, Fr. Theodore leaned backward into a candle and the back of his alb (a white garment placed over his black cassock) caught on fire. I was sitting in the balcony with his wife and a couple others who are cantors/choir and wasn't paying much attention because I couldn't see around a light, but I heard her gasp and saw a bit of flame on his back. The server initially put it out but somehow it started burning again so the Deacon's son (grown and visiting that night from Lincoln) hopped up there and put him out. The server (one of my "political discussions during coffee hour" pals) informed me that yes, indeed, "on fire for the Lord" was the running joke back in the sacristy (where the priest, deacon, sub-deacon and servers go before and after mass), even amongst those without a fundamentalist or Pentecostal background. Luckily Fr. was undamaged and everything went pretty well after that. We had a bit of a dessert potluck after the mass -- nothing like that 1am sugar buzz. I went back the next morning for Christmass Day mass, which was pretty low-key and only a few people attended (which was pretty much as planned and understood), and Fr. Theodore asked if I'd come back for an encore of the fire. It was all pretty funny in retrospect.

Stacey and I had a great Christmas Day here at our place. We made a pretty big meal even though we're not huge eaters, knowing it would last a while. I finished the leftovers last night, though there still might be a plastic container of sweet potatoes in the refrigerator somewhere. We opened our presents and had a good time just spending time together with ourselves and Flannery. I ended up watching Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, a classic Frank Capra film starring Gary Cooper, on TCM. Robert Osborne, the guy who introduces and "epilogues" most of the films they show on that channel, kept vaguely alluding to how this film just couldn't be replicated by modern attempts. He may as well have just come out and said "especially starring Adam Sandler!" While the comedic elements of the film were funny and would work as a decent comedy-only type film (I've not seen the new one starring Mr. Sandler so I don't know if that's what they went for or not), the film as a whole was very political and social. Frank Capra tended to specialize in films that were just this side of corny and preachy, never quite crossing the line. The films feel so good that audiences wouldn't quite catch just how beautifully socialist they were, though Mr. Deeds and, for that matter, It's A Wonderful Life are chock full of that sort of thing. I think they illustrate the fact that the line between socialism and just plain being ethical and caring about your fellow man is very thin, at least in the opinion of some. Of course, the way we view socialism now greatly differs from how they viewed it then, so one must keep that in mind. File this under the same category as, say, John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie.

Sunday and Monday were mostly restful, enjoyment type days. I got a little writing done. I don't remember much else, really, just getting a few things done around the house, spending time just relaxing, that sort of thing. I went on a wonderful, contemplative walk late Monday afternoon. Part of the intent was to specifically think on and pray about what to focus on in our first monthly teen Sunday School (which will hopefully take place in late January).

Yesterday we had to take care of the Great Sprint Debacle. We've been trying for months to get on the same account but were told varying things by varying people at Sprint. Finally we were told that Stacey's dad (her phone account was in his name) had to drive to a Sprint Store, fill out a form and fax it to another Sprint Store where we would be, all at the same time. After a few more confusing elements I'll not go into, we got it done. I just about lost it a couple times, but it all ended up okay...we hope. We ended up going a couple other places because we had gift certificates to them. I spent entirely too long debating over how to spend $15 at Borders. I ended up going with a new CD by The Innocence Mission. It's mostly old standards and sort of lullabye type stuff, not what I'll necessarily want to listen to often, but something worth having around. Everything else I wanted was either a bit more than I had on my gift certificate and I didn't feel like spending extra money or was something I knew I'd not get to reading anytime soon. I have a few books and magazines already going and don't want the stack to get too big. We're probably getting another bookshelf soon because we've got too much boxed up or just floating around. Yesterday just felt very off, due in part to the fact that I had insomnia pretty bad the night before and didn't really get to sleep until something like 4am, then things started happening pretty quickly in the morning and I never got to the morning office/Matins.

Anyway, that's what we've been up to.

My dad sent me an email the other day about a friend of his. The two have been good friends since college (early 70s - though his friend had been in the Navy for a few years before going to college) and corresponded through the years. Both were involved in "the ministry" for a number of years, generally small churches where they often had to take on other jobs to support themselves and their families. His friend is someone my dad knew to be just a wonderful person, very sincere and authentic in his spirituality and kind to everyone around him (much like my dad). Anyway, my dad's friend recently had started struggling with depression and mental illness, his wife thinks even schizophrenia. He ended up taking his own life with a shotgun, God rest his soul. He came from the sort of "old school" in that for many people, depression and mental illness are seen as strictly spiritual issues, something to struggle through and pray and fast over. He wouldn't go see a doctor even though his problems were obviously of a physical, chemical nature. Anyway, the whole situation is something I keep thinking about, a tragedy that hopefully others in the same position will be able to avoid.

Today at some point we'll be helping Michial move in. Luckily our weather is actually fairly warm, considering the time of year, at least it was yesterday and is supposed to be today. No one should have to move from Georgia to the North/Midwest/GreatPlains during sub-zero temperatures and/or a blizzard. No doubt he'll run into that sometime in January.

Much love to everyone and here's hoping this time of year is treating you well.