Roth Christmas Epistle 2024

 

The Year That Was

January  -  Curtis turned 37.  *  We spent a mostly rainy but mostly wonderful week in Rotonda West, Florida, at the beautiful Vrbo house of the mostly wonderful owners, Bobby & Connie Brown.

February  -  Thomas turned 10.  *  Had a fun double date with friends enjoying Comedy Sportz Twin Cities at their appearance in Rosemount.  *  On the 23rd, Shonda turned 41 and Kelly Jo turned 35.

March  -  Ivy June turned 4.  *  Debbie did a lot of work on her new 9-week devotional book, Blue Tassels.

April  -  Anawynn turned 11.  *  Dewey was MC at our church's 2nd annual Taste & See Fundraiser for our summer mission trips.  *  Blue Tassels was sent to the publisher.  *  Debbie spoke to almost 100 women at a one-day event at our home church in Markle, Indiana. (What a trip!)  *  We both attended, once again, The Well Conference for Christian Creatives in Michigan (enjoyed a day-trip to Holland as well).

May  -  Loved having everyone (except Shonda and crew) at the house for some Mother's Day pizza (but also loved that Shonda added her crew to the group photo)

June  -  Blessed by having Ivy and Clay for 4 overnighters and all the days in between while Curtis & Abbey were in California for a conference.  *  The 9th was our 45th anniversary!

July  -  A relatively quiet month highlighted by an overnighter with the 3 oldest grandkids and one with the youngest.

August  -  Dewey turned 67 (How in the world can that be correct?!?)  *  Debbie celebrated the release of BLUE TASSELS: 45 Devotions for the Desperate, Determined, and Delivered with a book launch open house.

September  -  Ezra Ann turned 3.  *  Clarence "Clay" turned 1 year old.  *  Angel turned 44.  *  The two of us traveled to Wyoming for some time with Debbie's niece and brother and a sobering visit to the Heart Mountain WWII Japanese Relocation Museum. Debbie also celebrated her 66th birthday at Texas Roadhouse. Maverick turned 8.

October  -  A nice-but-too-short visit in Arkansas with Shonda and her family. The drive down through the Ozarks was beautiful and their almost-completed house is amazing.  *  Enjoyed the 2nd year of greeting trick-or-treaters as SantaDewey. This time, we handed out candy canes!

November  -  We were overjoyed to be able to fly to Ohio for Thanksgiving. My (Dewey's) baby sister and her preacher husband open the fellowship hall of their church for both sides of the family to gather, gorge, and giggle. Curtis and Kelly Jo (and their families) drove to the event and were able to spend extra time with us and my sister and brother-in-law. Wonderful.

December  -  We will experience a Christmas Miracle: All of our Minnesota-based kids and grands will gather at our house at the same time for a big, old-fashioned Christmas dinner! And we're forever grateful.

In the face of seasoned waves of evil

that we would sing that old noel,

that we would hang lights on branches,

that we would give gifts to others

even if that gift is only ourselves --

this, this is a defiance seemingly impotent

against the principalities and powers who

daily conspire to convince us that

we are alone and love is a lie.

But do not be deceived for the demons themselves

tremble at such quaintness.

Sisters and brothers,

Christmas on.

-John Blase-

The End of "Blue Bloods"

 

Since the first episode, Beloved and I have enjoyed the Blue Bloods television series. It has consistently upheld the honor and dignity of those who wear a police uniform, even when it sometimes told the story of those who "went bad." Especially meaningful through the years have been the scenes around the family dinner table...a scene that has been in each of its 293 episodes.

When the episode we watched the other night ended with a dinner table scene that included kids having come home from college and the announcement of a pregnancy, I said, "Gee...that kind of felt like a series finale."

It wasn't until this morning, when I stumbled onto the following clip from "The Talk", that I realized I was right. It includes Tom Selleck repeating a heartfelt "reading" of a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay that he had shared with the cast and crew following the filming of their final scene together around the table.

I hope you can relate to the emotional depth of the words...that you have people and experiences in your life that resonate.

https://youtu.be/OGU2ogyk-yM?si=qWV2dLfHd9FiC9Di

Red One: "Let's Go Save Christmas!"

 

Having joined Amazon Prime for a week (for only $1.99) to get free shipping on our last-minute Christmas shopping, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could watch the Christmas action-comedy Red One on Prime Video even though it's still in movie theaters.

J. K. Simmons is the buffest Santa you'll ever meet, but he spends most of this movie passed out as his special Santa power is stolen by a Christmas witch (who knew?) to be used to entrap all the people on the Naughty List in magical snow globes forever. And since Dwayne Johnson's chief of security mentions early on that, for the first time ever, the Naughty List has more names than the Nice List, there stands to be a decided decrease in the surplus population. [Bonus points for anyone reading this who recognizes that nod to Dickens' A Christmas Carol.]

The action is fun and sometimes fierce. The comedy is humorous enough to warrant smiles and a few giggles. But here's my question...why the foul language? Maybe it was going to be rated PG-13 anyway because of the violent action, but that doesn't mean they HAD to have Santa calling something bull$#!t, etc.

All in all, it hit the expected notes of redemption for Chris Evans' steals-candy-from-a-baby scalawag, the horrifying prospect of Christmas being cancelled, and a disenchanted elf returning to the fold.

It's a holiday-themed trifle that will stick with me as long as the candy cane I ate while watching it.

Have an Awe-full Christmas: Books I Read in 2024, Vol. XXV

 

TOUCHING WONDER: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas
John Blase

In this collection of short readings for Advent, John Blase helps us encounter the Christmas story ... with dirt beneath its fingernails. This is the incarnation as real as it gets, God-with-us in all our fleshly despair and hope. Smell the hay in the Bethlehem stable, soaked with birthing blood. Hear Mary's pants and cries as she pushes the living God from her womb. Look over Joseph's shoulder as he watches his beloved bear the child of Another, the Son he will raise who will raise all humankind. Read [this book] and remind yourself once again of the absurd, unexpected, unfathomable glory of God's arrival in our world.

It was a meandering path that brought me to this book. Carolyn Arends posted a poem written by Blase that I really liked, so I did a little research on who he was. On his website, I saw the other books, etc. he has written and the descriptions of this book really captured my attention and sparked a desire to own it. A few mouse clicks later, it was on its way to my mailbox. And let me tell you, the reading of this book lived up to every high expectation I had.

First Line: The author David James Duncan described the plastic shepherds from those Christmas dioramas of his youth as having "slack-jawed expressions of wonder."

Page 56 / Line 5: Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: [Zachariah speaking of his son, John the Baptizer] He seemed to live in the margins, somewhere between this world and the next.

Last Line: Remember, the Mighty One's favor comes in unexpected ways.