Advent 2010 - Day One

On this first day of Advent, the season of preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child, we were unable to go and worship with our church family. Matthew was ill with a sinus problem that we are afraid might be contagious, and I don't know if I might also be contagious and just not have symptoms. SO, our Advent is not starting out on a very positive note.

All that aside, my thought for the weeks leading up to Christmas was to write about something every day, if I can, that I am grateful for.
Today I am grateful for the characters in my life. These are the people who have left a big impression with their humor, their willingness to just be themselves, and their unique view of life.
The first real character that comes to mind is Nellie Holmes. This great lady was in her 90s and could still shoot a gopher across her back garden with a .22 pistol! (She NEVER missed!) She could quilt, can and cook with the best of them, but she really knew how to have fun. When I got to stay with her and her sister Maude when my folks wanted an evening out, Nellie used to make popcorn on the stovetop, and Maude would make orangeade. We would then either watch an old movie on tv, or we'd work on knitting or sewing projects and watch an old movie on tv. Nellie lived to be almost 100 years old, and stayed pretty spry almost to the end. She had many funny stories about her life, and how she learned to be such a good shot. (Her husband's job took them out of the country a lot, and into areas that were not particularly friendly to Americans.)
The second character that comes to mind is Miss Hunter, my sixth grade teacher. This lady had rheumatoid arthritis, and was often in pain. She still managed to be an excellent teacher. She had great dignity, and commanded our respect. (NOT an easy thing to get from 12 year olds!) She also had a great sense of humor and fun, and often made our lessons a great deal of fun for us. When some of us proved to be a bit slow at our basic addition facts, she came up with a sneaky way to encourage us to add faster. She told us she was going to Vegas on vacation and needed to practice her Blackjack. She taught us to play, and if you consider the game, being able to add quickly and make decisions based on what you see showing is the main skill in the game. She got us going and kept saying, "You have to add faster, girls, or you won't ever win!" Only later did my friend and I realize what she was really up to. She taught the whole class about statistics during the World Series. She brought her radio, and we listened to parts of the games, and she taught us to keep a score sheet, and she showed us how to find the scores and stats in the sports section of the newspaper to get the stats we missed because we couldn't listen to the whole game. (We could also check our work) She encouraged us to read the newspaper and to bring in stories that interested us to share. We discussed all kinds of news and sports and entertainment stories in that class. We also learned to be critical thinkers, to evaluate what we read and to compare information between news sources. (A skill sadly not taught, but even more important in this information-soaked age.)
The last character I'd like to talk about is someone I just finished writing a Christmas card to. Molly Manchester, a neighbor of ours when we were first married and lived in San Bernardino, CA. (DOWNTOWN San Bernardino!) Molly was living across the street from us where she cared for her grandma who had dementia. (Grandma used to get upset about all those people on the tv. "We don't have enough food in the house to feed all those people" she'd say, and want to take off for the store.) Molly had cats, and we had cats, and we used to sit on the front stoop and talk once in a while. Molly always got excited about the UPS truck coming up the street, and in jest, would say "Darn you, why didn't you stop here?!" when he went by without stopping. To this day, I think of Molly when the truck zooms up the street to someone else's house. Now, next door to us lived a couple that often had rather spectacular and LOUD arguments. They often "shared" them with the whole neighborhood. (Meaning you'd have to be stone deaf not to hear them!) Far as I know, they only ever hollered at each other, but they would bring it out into the front yard now and again. Molly used to pop popcorn and sit on the stoop to watch. When she thought perhaps they should be reminded that they were in public, she'd holler "Hey, you used that argument already. Think up something new!" They'd usually look surprised to realize they were outside, and would both stomp back in the house.
I am glad to report that last I heard, Molly was doing fine, living in a new neighborhood, and driving a school bus. (Grandma passed away peacefully several years ago.) She still has cats, and so do we, so Christmas card notes are often an exchange of cat hijinks.
At any rate, as we prepare for the coming of Christmas, I have lighted the first Advent candle, and I give thanks for all the characters who have enriched my life. I meet new ones all the time!