B = BLOW DART GUNS

 

My mother was and remains a total, amazing gift that we were blessed to have as our mum. She shone even more during the holidays; from decorations, to cookies, to meals, to rituals both new and old, to the gifts she thoughtfully purchased, Dorothy made Christmas amazing for her family.

As this post continues, it’s important to note that ours is a family of hunters. In our family, one quickly learns to ask “What season is it?”  When her two grandsons were the ages of five and nine, Mom decided to buy them a gift she knew they'd really enjoy...a total Dorothy Snyder thing to do.   The grandsons’ dad, my brother, is a successful hunter and he shared the love of hunting with his sons. Keeping that in mind, Dorothy decided a great gift for the grandsons would be....of course.....blow-dart guns. 

She honestly thought she was purchasing a toy....nope....Mom bought the grandsons real blow dart guns ---- the kind with the metal tipped darts....serious stuff.

Of course, the grandsons loved the gift! My brothers thought it was tremendous and quickly assembled a large cardboard box, blew up balloons and affixed them to the target.  A good portion of Christmas day was spent hearing the "pfffft" "smack" and "pop" of an actual blow dart being shot and hitting its target.  Echoing in the background was my mother's refrain, "O, my....I really thought it was a toy....I would never have bought a real weapon for two small children......" 

Happy Holidays from a family of hunters…….

 

A = ALMOST

 

From a children’s perspective the Advent season is one of building energy and excitement and the excitement is expressed in questions:

 

·      Is it time to open the day’s tab on the Advent calendar? Mum’s answer: “Almost”

·      Is it time to take the cookies out of the oven? Mum’s answer: “Almost”

·      Is it time to bring down the decorations from the attic?... Mum’s answer: “Almost”

·      Is it time to go to get the tree? Mum’s answer: “Almost”

·      Is it time to open gifts? Mum’s answer:  “Almost”

 

As kids learn to tell time I think there is also a course for parents, am and pm in parent time is taught to answer “almost” and “not yet.”

 

Almost bides time. We do that during this season of Advent, biding time until the celebration of Christmas.

 

Almost will be replaced with that wonderful answer of “YES.”  For persons long waiting and individuals always coming close yet never fully there…. the Advent season is the universal YES to creation, to communities of faith, to individuals. 

 

The journey of Advent can be summed up in five words: Almost.  Yes.  Now.  Let’s go!

A little bit on hope

 

It seems to be a pattern, the morning, I’m boiling water for oatmeal, NPR on the radio in the kitchen, and I hear this line: “so many hopes and dreams were smashed and rearranged.”  

 

To smash something involves a focused force, an unforeseen drop of a fragile thing, one of those moments when there is a discernible and distinct pause, a holding of one’s breath before the hit and the shatter and the scatter of pieces. Depending on the sentimental and, I suppose, monetary value of the item and severity of the break, one might gather the pieces and rearrange them, glue them back together….or, determine it's not worth the effort and throw it away.

 

Hopes rearranged are the stuff of tv movies of the week and memoirs that get Oprah’s seal. At the foundation of the rearranging is a hope you can’t toss out. In many instances those types of hopes are the ones we reserve for children and maybe some relationships, ideas and ideals of community, freedom, democracy, church.

 

To rearrange that which has been smashed takes time and precision, one really has to want to put it back together and the effort it takes can become obsessive and it’s tiring, stretches the muscles, strains the eyes, makes some people ask why are you wasting your time.

 

Though brittle and in times surprisingly breakable, hopes and dreams have a buoyancy to them, they keep afloat.  Yet, during these days of wars and rumors of war, an empire nearing collapse, othering everyone who is not like us, widening gaps between wealthy and poor I recall the song lyric, “where hope is currency.”   What can one buy with hope currency? Do we save it for a bigger investment? Is it possible to spend it foolishly and if so when does one realize it? Is hope the coin of our realm?