My "normal" Christmas activities

I'm still alive, just trying to stay ahead of all the practices and preparations for these upcoming Christmas programs. Others talk of Christmas decorations and baking, etc. I have seldom had much time for any of those "normal" Christmas activities because of my normal Christmas activities. But that's okay. I honestly enjoy what I do - not every moment of it, for sure, but most of it. Like today, when I had a rehearsal with five guitars, a trumpet, a violin, six glockenspiels, a keyboard, and a bongo drum (the guy who plays sax was absent today.) I led them all from the piano and it was starting to sound GOOD. I looked over at those sixth grade boys strumming away on their guitars with all their hearts, and I absolutely enjoyed that moment.

Tomorrow morning the reporter from the Merchandiser is coming to do a picture and story about the program, so I went back to school this evening to make sure everything is ready for that and also for the Mass Chorus rehearsal with all the instruments. Dick was helping me, of course. I couldn't do my job without his help.

God has been blessing us abundantly. This fall Dick has taken a lot of days off without pay (his vacation days were all used up after his hernia surgery in August, and they don't get paid sick days at B. R. Kreiders). So the four days he took off for his chemo treatments in October, plus the two he took off when I was in the hospital, plus the two he took off for deer hunting were all without pay, and then he will also take off next Friday to run the sound for my Christmas programs at school. But God is looking out for us . One evening this week we received a very nice amount of deer bologna from Dick's brother Steve. The next evening his brother Jim called and said he has a twenty pound case of chicken legs that a friend of his wants to give to someone in need. This evening Dick's brother Fred gave us about twenty pounds of deer burger. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Stauffer brothers!! And thank you, Lord!

I haven't had time to listen to any weather report, but my finger and toe joints are telling me that there's some kind of moisture on the way. Let's see if they're right!!