Rejoicing to have a challenging semester behind me, I spent two weeks at home for Christmas. Home is still Edinboro PA even though it has now been 10 years since I lived there full-time. Being home for Christmas is a wonderful feeling, normally with a blanket of snow, cold days (actual cold, not what they say is "cold" in SC and GA), fires in the fireplace, and endless cups of hot chocolate. But what has been normal for me this year and why change that for the holidays? As many others did, we had an unusually mild Christmas season with very little snow coming after Santa had left the presents and been home for a whole day. It did not dampen my Christmas spirit though. After all we still had the tree, and candles, and favorite Christmas movies to enjoy. I also had plenty of time with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and niece to fill my soul for a new year. Much joy was felt and blessings counted. I will share a few highlights here:
PIAA Division III State Champs - The day I flew home, our General McLane Lancers came home with their new State Championship. The town gathered to greet them late in the afternoon and lined the streets with red and white. (The one time I didn't bring home my favorite sweatshirt, my brother's old baseball sweatshirt!) It was incredible. I kid you not, it was like being in a movie. A scene straight out of Remember the Titans or Hoosiers. 14 fire engines and numerous police cars with sirens blaring. The fire station siren, which normally only sounds to signal approaching tornadoes, sang above the cheering crowds. Buses of players and cheerleaders. Cars, trucks, and minivans full of parents, families, and fans painted with victory. As my Mom noted, if you were in town and didn't know what was going on, you'd think we were being invaded and destroyed.
Becoming a Buckeye - I am a little bit of a traitor to my Penn State ties. I interviewed in Columbus, OH for a summer placement of Clinical Pastoral Education. You, like everyone else, are probably wondering, why Columbus? I have no desire to stay in Atlanta for the summer and I have a free place to live in Columbus thanks to two wonderful friends. Soooooo, I applied and interviewed at the Children's Hospital and the Ohio State University Medical Center. It might take me 5 of the 10 weeks to learn my way around the 4-block hospital campus, but as of today I will be working my summer as a CPE intern at OSU! I am very happy with the placement, but do owe some shame to my Nittany Lion friends. Sorry Joe Paw!
Cutest kids EVER - Christmas is so much fun with kids around! It was fantastic to watch Samantha play and open her gifts and attempt to decipher her 1 1/2 year old language! Justin though takes the cake with language deciphering as he spewed a mile a minute what he got for Christmas over the phone. Truck is about all I got. Their joy became mine and will sustain me for weeks to come.
Generosity of Family - My parents always taught me to share and I didn't have much of a choice with siblings to grow up with, but there are some things my family does NOT need to share with me anymore. Germs. I'm not sure who started it exactly, but a nasty cold made its way to me the day after Christmas. But it didn't knock me out until AFTER the post-Christmas shopping. Good timing.
Always Call the Theater - My cold beginning to wear off, my parents and I decided to head to dinner and a movie in Erie before I returned to campus. We checked the newspaper and decided on The Holiday at 4:00pm to be followed by dinner out. Erie is about 20 miles and we left with plenty of time allowed to purchase tickets and snacks. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the theater 10 minutes before showtime to find the actual showtime was 3:30pm. What?! Turns out the newspaper had printed the previous week's showtimes leaving a LOT of movie-goers to make last minute decisions. As did we. We killed an hour and instead went to see We Are Marshall. Great movie. A very moving true story capturing the grief process of a college town in the most respectful and honorable manner. See it. Great movie.
So now I am back in Decatur, packed and prepared for a trip to Jamaica beginning (VERY EARLY) tomorrow! Believe it or not, it's a class. It is a required course called Alternative Context where we are split into groups traveling to a variety of destinations for cultural immersion and ministry in a new context. I'm off with the Jamaica group, looking forward to another international experience and a new stamp for my passport.
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