Christmas Ramblings

A little weary of the same old Christmas Carols, a little tired of seeing red and green, and wondering why everywhere I look there are tinsel, gleaming lights, and ornaments of all shapes and sizes, I headed out in a van to deliver bags of Christmas joy to the elderly in nursing homes. Perhaps my attitude was perfunctory, even cavalier, as we loaded up the van with six of us and drove out to the nursing home. Walking into the complex with a plastered but artificial smile, my feelings were further assailed by the odor of stale urine, depression, sickness, and sadness. Heading toward one of the rooms for the delivery, we walked by a barely alive lady in a wheelchair. Projecting myself into the nursing home one day, I saw the abyss of inevitable sadness of our lives as we head toward physical vapidity.

But all that changed with the first note of Joy to the World as it rang out upon the ears of the kind gentleman who smiled warmly upon our presence. He was happy to see us and happy to share in our Christmas Joy. Suddenly, almost in one fell swoop, my entire countenance changed and I felt like the Grinch when his heart grows! We sang our songs with gusto and although not perfect, we sang to lift the spirits, we sang about the birth of Jesus, and we sang about love. We sprinkled happiness with our breath, with our songs, and with our selfless giving. What began as a duty to deliver gift bags, ended up being the joy of the season. Each person responded with warmth and energy to our singing and each wanted us to stay longer as we wished them Merry Christmas. It was all great fun and reminded me of how our lives are connected to each other and how we gain from the strength and the spirit of our friends. To give is to receive and Christmas is an ideal opportunity to give.

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of musical activities as I played my horn in a concert, directed another performance of Handel's Messiah, led two performances of a large choir and orchestra in Glory to the Highest, directed a piece at the band concert, and sang in another concert. I have sung numerous carols, listened to all the others, shared music with anyone who would listen, and gave leadership in virtually every musical situation. Maybe it made me a little tired at times, but I do thank the Lord for the ability and the energy that allows me to be a practicing, a thinking, and a performing musician. We are blessed by the gift of music and I consider myself fortunate to be one of the many servants of the gift.

Today is hat day for me. I left one hat at the movie theatre when we watched Sherlock Holmes which incidentally was enjoyable but a little too heroic and tough at times. I prefer the cerebral Sherlock Holmes over the tough guy James Bond-like Sherlock Holmes. Regardless, the problem is that I left my hat at theatre. My tendency to leave things behind could be some sort of psychological desire to make a difference in the world and leave a part of me everywhere I go, but I don't really want to think about that too much today. In addition to the theatre hat, I also left a different hat at a church where I conducted Handel's Messiah. So today is hat day as I retrieve the missing items and give my bald head some reprieve from the cold and the wind. It's all for the head after all.

Reading the Stieg Larsson series of books that hit the book world a couple of years ago. Pretty energetic, intelligent writing for sure. They are fun, engaging, and full of mental gymnastics for those wanting entertainment mixed with academic moments. My reading habits are very eclectic these days like my music habits I suppose. Maybe one they will write on my tombstone that I was eclectic, confusing, and endearing!

Okay, enough about myself. How is everybody doing these days? The economy seems to be a big mess, people seem insecure, sports games are not all that interesting anymore (but the Cowboys are plugging along and keeping us on our toes!), and food is sort of dull and fattening. On the other hand, it is all just life and is grand even in the down times.