Thursday, December 18, 2008

Traditions

Today at work I was talking with some co-workers about Christmas traditions. It was at lunchtime so much of the discussion centered around food tradtions.

Lots of families have holiday food traditions, at my house, it was a Christmas Eve fondue. The thing that gets me is that I remember some of this stuff like it was yesterday -- a rare feat for me. We'd sit around the table and fondue for AT LEAST an hour, talking, laughing, eating...it was a good time! Then we'd clean up (a little) and open presents.

I've still got this thing about waiting to open presents until it's dark. For me, there's something about opening gifts by the light of the tree and I think it comes from that Christmas Eve tradition from my family -- but that's another post.

My wife had her own family traditions too, so we've had to learn to meld the two and make our own. We made a few and my kids are already appreciating them, which I'm thankful for. I want my kids to have the same good memories I have. I suppose all good parents do, or if they don't have memories of their own, they want to make them for their kids.

This year, we have NO plans on Christmas Day except for church in the morning -- no family, no travel, no worries. In today's 'get-it-all-done' society, I wonder if doing nothing could become a tradition? Is just being together for a WHOLE day with no agenda, no timeframe, and no where to go a tradition? I wonder if I can make it one? I wonder if my kids would remember it fondly when they're older? I know I would.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Friends

Yesterday I went, with some friends, to visit a mutual friend who was in the hospital. He had back surgery the day before and was doing remarkably well. The hospital was about an hour away so that gave us a chance to visit during the drive -- up and back.

We came to the conclusion, that there isn't enough togetherness in our lives anymore -- at least for us. We don't dare have people over for coffee and a chat, because, my house isn't clean enought or nice enough, or I don't have the right food, and the list is really pretty endless.

I (we) wondered what would happen if we just got over ourselves and made the effort. Invite someone new over, get to know them. There's a new neighbor down the street? drop off some cookies -- who cares if you bought them. The point is facebook and blogging is not 'social' . We may call it 'social media', but it's no more social than getting a letter in the mail. We need to get out and meet the people!

Well, I better take my own advice! I wonder if my next door neighbor needs a cup of sugar?

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Eating Out

It was my wife's birthday today so I found a sitter and we went out for dinner and a movie...on a Tuesday. Pretty rare for us to do ever much less on a Tuesday.

We went to a restaurant in the small town where we live. It's a Tuesday, it's a small town, it's a small restaurant, so there were less than 10 people in the place, but even then, when I was supposed to be focused on my wife I found myself wondering.

My wife called me on it...there was an elderly couple sitting at a table near ours. I was facing them (and her), but she had her back to them and she said, "You just can't stop people watching, can you?". She's right I have a (bad?) habit of people watching. Sitting on those walkway benches in malls is one of my favorite pasttimes. I explained to her that I don't really people watch, I people wonder....

I wonder who they're shopping for? I wonder if they're married? Aren't they supposed to be in school? With the elderly couple at a restaurant I wondered, why, on a Tuesday night, are they braving single digit temperatures to eat a hamburger? Were they celebrating a special occassion too? Was this a long established Tuesday tradition for them? I wonder how long they've been married? I wonder IF they're married? Why are they sitting next to each other rather than across from each other?

It may all sound kind of nosy, but I'm a curious individual. I'm a people person...I like to know about people. I didn't ask the questions, I just thought them, wondered them. So it's not really nosy, right?

I wonder how they would have responded if I had asked them. I wonder...

Friday, December 5, 2008

Christmas Lights

Tonight we took the kids to look at Christmas lights. Some oohing and ahhing, some how did they do that's and some scrooges with dark houses and yards.

I'm all for those people who decry the commericalism and consumerism that surrounds Christmas. It's easy to get lost in elves, and santa, and food, and presents...I get all that and it's important to keep it in mind. But some of these displays -- the work, the time, the dedication, the storage space for when it's all over -- are amazing!

I wonder if some of it is ok...everything in moderation, right? It brought our family together.

Jesus is the reason, but that doesn't mean we can't fill our yards full of lights and candy canes and snowmen does it?

I wonder...

Thursday, December 4, 2008

I wonder? A prologue

I wonder...

Why am I doing this? Who cares? Who's going to read this anyway?

Blogging is something I've been thinking about doing for a while. I suppose it's somewhat of a public journal. I don't have any profound thoughts, wise insights, or prophetic sayings (although, sometimes I wish I did). Mostly, it's an opportunity to get out what I'm thinking and feeling on any given day on any given subject. I might talk about family, I'm a husband to one lovely wife and a father to a son and a daughter (our third is coming in March and no we don't know what the sex is); I might talk about work (I'm the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator for a small Christian college); I might talk about church (I'll be deacon in January); I might talk about friends, or food, or music, or scripture.

I wonder what I'll blog about?

People who know me well, know that I ask alot of questions and I wonder about alot of things. Not profoundly, or deeply even, but quietly. (My wife says I never tell her anything.) Lately, I wonder why I feel the way I do, I wonder if I'll say the right thing, do the right thing, make the right decision, and on and on and on...it's insecurity, mostly. But why am I insecure? I think we all struggle with insecurity from time to time.

Maybe this blog is a way to get over some of that. If I write about it maybe I'll find some answers. Maybe it will lead to more questions.

I wonder...?