Joy

Faces Of Christmas

It's rehearsal day.

I couldn't believe it. Among other things, the Herdman were famous for never sitting still and never paying attention to anyone yet here they were, eyes glued on my mother and taking in every word.

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them," Mother said, "and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and -" 

"Shazam!" Glady's yelled, flinging her arms out and smacking the kid next to her. "Out of the black night with horrible vengeance, the Mighty Marvo-"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Gladys." 

"Out of nowhere, right?" Gladys said. "In the black night, right?"

"Well..." Mother looked unhappy, In a way.

Gladys sat, looking very satisfied, as if this was at least one part of the Christmas story that made sense to her.

Need anything more be said? The candle for this week is JOY. 

In the midst of frenzy and disharmony, we are invited to pause, that we may prepare a room in our heart and receive the newborn King with resounding joy. 

The Lord has come. Shazam!

                                          (To be continued)

Love

Faces Of Christmas

Blessed is the season which engages 

the whole world in a conspiracy of LOVE. - Hamilton Wright Mabie

The thing was, the Herdmans didn't know anything about the Christmas story. They knew that Christmas was Jesus' birthday, but everything else was news to them - the shepherds, the Wise Men, the star, the stable, the crowded inn. They might have read about it, but they never read anything except Amazing Comics.

"What were the wadded-up clothes?" Claude wanted to know.

"The what?" Mother said.

"You read about it, She wrapped him in wadded-up clothes."

"Swaddling clothes". Mother sighed. "Long ago, people used to wrap their babies very tightly in big piece of material, so they couldn't move around. It made the babies feel cozy and comfortable."

And surely, loved.

This week, we light the candle of LOVE that wraps the baby Jesus - and us, too, and all those whom we love.

                    (To be continued)

Happy Birthday, Dirty Dawg!

We lived in Phoenix.

That was before Twitter or Instagram or phones that start with I. A time when social and media would never have been used in the same sentence. A time when people read books and wrote letters and had actual face-to-face conversations.

We were busy.

But 12 years ago, we got the news... 

About this boy.

He was our miracle baby, an early Christmas gift. God's gift.

Just when we thought we were too old to fall in love again, we became Gamma and Lowlo. 

He kinda captured our heart.  So we decided to jump. Retired and found a place to stay longer-term than a week's vacation in Hawaii.

I'm now thinking that First Grandson must have inherited the quirky family gene of contradictory humors.

In preschool, he might have broken the record of having a Mom receive the most number of phone calls from the principal, three times during his first five-day school week. (Ahem... I don't think it was for good behavior.)

But on his last day of first grade, he came home with a certificate for winning third place for his poster Sight is Beautiful for the Lions Club. His prize? A $10 gift card to Longs. 

True that in second grade, the day before the start of classes, he was busy playing games and had slept for as long as he could the-day-of. Reportedly, at breakfast, while his sister was happily eating her cereal, all dressed with her hair brushed, First Grandson was still in his pj's with his hair sticking up, grumpily muttering, I don't want to go to school!

But he was Kamiloiki Star Student for March. The theme was balanced. When his Mom asked what that meant, he said, I don't know. Maybe because I wasn't bad? 

It actually means, his Mom learned, 'understanding the importance of physical and mental balance and personal well-being'. She has interpreted that to mean First Grandson was good at athletics and academics.

Just like his Mama, he has taken to playing the piano, but practicing in his own unique cool and comfortable way...

Butthoven At The Piano. At two (?) and almost-nine
years old,respectively. The baby pic on left is framed
and displayed on top of piano in right photo.

Then.

And later.

Art, reading, Beethoven... First Daughter says, He's taking after me after all!

But where has he shone the most? We think out on the field, playing flag football with his team, scoring runs like they were hot cakes.

Just look at that face. It was just him, the ball, and his will.

Strong and tough. Touchdown!

The Champs. Son-In-Law Coach, First Grandson and the Dirty Dawgs team were 2021 Spring i9 Sports Flag Football Champions. 

Undefeated Champs. All sports photos: V.E.V., June 2021

Marriott Beach Club, Ko Olina, 2017

Yet even a top-notch sports champ has his goofy moments...

Making funny faces to greet the New Year.

Dancing Dino. Halloween, 2019

Being Dino dancing the Orange Justice, floss, and dabbing.

Or simply relaxing using his new headphone.

I'm not retired. I'm a professional Grandma.

Despite the seeming dichotomy of his persona, the one constant we've cherished is his love during the times we've spent with him... 

Whether building a sand moat on Waikiki Beach.

 l

Lolo hanging out with him during time out.

A Journal Entry, May 2019

And, oh, the sweetness of his words on why December is his favorite month (see reason number three).

Because my grandma and grandpa come to stay in Hawaii with us. And the(sic) stay for 4 months.

And his answer to an interview question with 'Iolani last year describing a person who has had a great influence on his life. 

His was a very special answer, Lolo.

Because Lolo would tell him about the newest things and help him practice piano. He played board games and cards with him. He would throw the football with him and help him with batting practice.

So many great things come in '12s': months in a year, inches in a foot, doughnuts, eggs, roses, hours on a clock, drummers drumming and most importantly this year...

... First Grandson's totally epic 12th birthday.

A 1048-Steps Hike At The Top.

Photo: A.V.H., Koko Head, 2021 

So on this especial day, Lolo and I pause to wish you a brilliant and smashing day. After all, it’s not every day you turn 4,383…

... days. Wow! 

Go wild, Dawg! Cheering you on, as you make it to the top.

 

Hope

Faces Of Christmas

Yesterday, it was NOVEMBER.

And guess what comes after November?

That’s right. Say it with me. December.

The most wonderful month of the year.

Just between us? 

December always sneaks up on me. I think it’s lightyears away. I think I have all the time in the world to get ready for the holidays. I think that there’s a ton of time before Santa comes for his cookies and milk on Christmas Eve.

And then?

I blink.

And December 25 knocks at the door.

So for this month's blog, I’m doing things a little bit differently. I'll be mindful of what Christmas is all about - HOPE, LOVE, JOY, and PEACE. To this end, I'm inviting you to enjoy selected excerpts from Barbara Robinson's delightful The Best Christmas Pageant Ever as we light each week's advent candle. 

Enjoy!

***************************************************************

Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling. - Edna Ferber

The Christmas pageant is supposed to be the same every year. This year, however, the play has been hijacked by the Herdman children - Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys  - six skinny, stringy-haired siblings all alike except for being different sizes and having different black-and-blue places where they had clonked each other.

Imogene said, "I want to be Mary." She looked back over her shoulder. "And Ralph wants to be Joseph."

Nobody volunteered to be Wise Men, except, Leroy, Claude, and Ollie Herdman. So there was my mother, stuck with a Christmas pageant full of Herdmans in the main roles.

There was one Herdman left over, and one main role left over, and you didn't have to be very smart to figure out that Glady's was going to be the Angel of the Lord.

But with hopeful determination, the narrator's Mother vows:

"I'm going to make this the very best Christmas pageant anybody ever saw, and I'm going to do it with Herdmans, too."

This week, we light the candle of HOPE, that Christmas pageants all over the world will not only be the best Christmas pageant ever, but that the virtue of HOPE will envelop us all this season and through the years.

(To be continued)

LPS Lunch: Fantastically Magical

Today's Special

Come with me and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination - Song lyrics, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

In LPS land, magic can happen. Especially in the LPS Cafeteria.

Look around. The food is perfect.

For lunch, there's a three-layer strawberry cake, McDonald's hamburger and fries, blueberry pie, hotdog sandwich, fish, bones, bananas, mac and cheese, clams, soup, bread, and cheese.

Stop by and see into your imagination.

A small plastic square becomes a gooey marshmallow. Cut-up pieces of greenery transform themselves into a vegetarian delight.

In this world of a child's creation, what you'll see will defy explanation.

Cereal boxes are disproportionately sized and a giant cotton candy is baking in the oven.

There's coffee and tea brewing on the red-button burner of a plastic canvas 'stove.' Drinks are in a plastic pill box standing by Fridge.

If you want to view a paradise of goodies, simply look around for a pillbox-turned-treasure chest of county fair snacks. Press any of its lids for an array of cookies, broccoli pie and peppermint candy.

Here's a place where magical secrets abound, the latest rumored being that of a 'rock salad' that only Daisy, Rosie, and Reid have seen and eaten.

It has greens, and bird-of-paradise pieces (that Reid just learned he is allergic to), nuts, and an antique rock that unlocks the partaker's secret wish.

Playtime on the studio loft with First
Granddaughter and her LPS characters.
Hawaii Kai, June 2021

Don't you agree?

Everything is amazing.

So, let's raise our cup of blue raspberry slurpee to littlest furry pets with their pre-school gossip about a charmed salad.

Two-toned pink and chocolate cakes.

And strawberry-topped muffins served on a bottle cap saucer.

Here's wishing your day is filled with pure imagination, the wonder of a child's heart.

For You, I Give Thanks

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. - Melody Beattie

I am blessed to have so many great things in my life, things that have changed me, but I start and end with you - my family back home.

Inscription in Mum's handwriting: Of the seven jewels of my life here are six of them. To the missing diamond this photo is heartily dedicated.

Collage: Dad and Mum with my six brothers; four of our six dogs including their ink sketches by Dad. Manila: October 7, 1973 (four months after I had left for the US) 

Through the years, far though I've wandered across the seas, you have given me the roots to stand tall and strong.

For you, I am thankful. 

Manila: December 1996

The compass that has guided me.

My steady rock.

The inspiration to reach great heights, and my comfort when I falter.

Just as you have blessed me, in many ways that you may not even know, on this Thanksgiving Day, I'd like to celebrate you with the wish that your days may be filled with joy and peace!

 

For These, I Give Thanks

Today is a day of completion. I give thanks for this perfect day. Miracle shall follow miracle and wonders shall never cease. - Florence Shinn

Last super moon of 2020.
Photo: V.E.V., Columbus: May 6, 2020

Days like these.

Perfect.

Exquisite images, sightings.

A white swan by the lake. A rustling deer .
Photo: V.E.V., Blendon Woods: October 2021

Left: Stray pot-bellied pig. Photo: A.V.H., Hawaii Kai: Sept 2021.
Right: Baby geese. Photo: I.T.V., At the Academy: May 5, 2021

Lazy days. Silly days.

  

Left: Nap time. Makapu'u Beach: June 2021

Right: So who's cross eyed now??!!

Fun days.

Left: Riding a tandem bike at the Boardwalk. Right: Water sliding. Aug 5, 2020

Precious days with and remembering beloved pets.

Left: Meeka celebrates a birthday. Columbus: September 2020

Right: Bubba and Snowball's herb garden where Snowball's hutch used to be and where Andy's ashes were buried. The small river rock on the right marks where First Daughter planted wildflower seeds that the vet gave to plant in Andy's memory. July 7, 2020

Baby Minny, Madeline, and Lexi

And, of course, food.

Left: Thanksgiving Dinner. Columbus: 2020

Right: At Duke’s beachfront restaurant, an iconic establishment in Waikiki, anniversary dinner gift from Second Daughter: April 23, 2021

The funny thing about any big meal is that you spend 12 hours shopping for it then go home and cook, chop, braise, and blanch. 

Then it's gone in 20 minutes and everybody lies around sort of in a sugar coma and then it takes four hours to clean it up. So, we take out or eat out.

From First Daughter and Son-in-Law, a fabulous anniversary dinner treat at Roy's: oysters with caviar, seafood and peas risotto, filet mignon, chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream and complimentary champagne and bread pudding. April 2021

Lunch at home, previewing Second Granddaughter's handcrafted Thanksgiving tablescape: an Indian and pilgrim family scene on her hand-tied runner (left) and her Mondrian-inspired hand painted centerpiece (right). November 2021

But most of all, my perfect day ends with you. 

People who make me happy, the charming gardeners who make my soul blossom.

First Daughter and family vacation. Maui: August, 2019

 

Left: Mother's Day with Second Daughter, Granddaughter. Columbus: 2020.
Right: Shooting hoops. Columbus: October 2021

Today is a perfect day to be better, to be present in all things and thankful for all things. 

Movie night. Hawaii Kai: June 2021

Family. Loved ones. Good food.

Good heavens. Let's eat!

Happy Thanksgiving!