The Grinder that ALMOST Stole Christmas

In my family there is a Cranberry Relish Jell-O salad that graces the dinner table at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My father's job is to grind the cranberries, apples and nuts with the grinder. The grinder currently has a place in the hall closet at my parent's home. It travels to my brother's home at Thanksgiving time so that Mom can make the salad. It is always packed in the original box in the center of the suit case.

The Original Box

So imagine our horror when on Christmas Eve Day the grinder was not in the hall closet! A room to room search ensued. Drawers and every imaginable location was searched. Even the most unlikely places were searched. Everyone was frantic...no salad. Impossible!

Before it turned nasty I texted my brother to see if the grinder had been left at his house. As soon as the text was received, he CALLED me back.He looked in the kitchen and even went out and looked on the porch as my parents had used the grinder there attached to an adirondack chair. But that is another story.

The Grinder

My brother, ever helpful informed me that the grinder would be in the last place we looked. He was not, however, able to tell me where the last place was.
Mom went back to the hall closet as she was sure that she had just seen the grinder. On hands and knees for the third time she stood up and then moved some blue towels. The grinder was there behind the towels. It appears that when she put up the Holiday towels the every day towels inadvertently were placed on top of the grinder. Crisis averted!

Cranberry Relish Salad

I did mention that perhaps we could use a food processor. Apparently food processors do NOT chop or grind the cranberries, apples, and nuts like a good old fashioned GRINDER. I won't mention that option again.

Once again the salad graced our Christmas Dinner table. It was as delicious as always. The grinder is in it's box and in the hall closet. Life is good.

Christmas Light Leads Us...

I love Christmas Lights.  It seems that we all want our homes to be festive.  One by one we begin to banish the darkness with our little strings of lights.

I remember sailing at night with the velvet darkness all around the boat.  You could hear the waves slide along the side of the hull and if you were lucky there was phosphorescence in your wake.  Some nights there was a moon that played in the clouds and other times, cloudless nights where the stars were all you could see in the firmament. 

I always felt small sitting on the boat at night, steering her through the night.  When the weather was good it was for me, heaven on earth.  I always felt closest to nature and God at those times.  The nighttime displays filled me with wonder.

And so it is now as Christmas approaches.  I feel very small sitting here on the turning earth, circling the the sun.  I feel very small as we wonder through the neighborhoods as night falls and the lights begin to light our way.

I wonder how small and afraid Mary must have felt.  Engaged, pregnant, heading into the uncertainty that was her future.   She was obedient and placed her faith God.  Joseph too placed his faith in God and kept his promise to Mary and made a new promise to the child she was carrying.  They were obedient to Rome and headed out to be counted in the census.

That manger the night of his birth must have been an answer to their prayers.  I can't imagine being pregnant, riding on a donkey and then no friendly Hampton Inn on the horizon to welcome you for the night.  No electricity for lights in the manger, only the stars to light the way.

This Christmas I am reminded of how blessed I am.  Michael is cancer free, the children and grandchildren are doing well.  My siblings and parents are well.  We have a roof over our head, food on the table and money to by what we need.  We have electricity for heat and light.  We have good friends.

I am ready for the Light of the World.  May He banish the darkness from our hearts this Christmas and all through the year.