Happy New Year

It’s a Marshmallow World here in Bethany!  The beauty of winter  welcomed us New Year’s Day with a covering of white.  It was quite like the frosting on the cake… light and sweet on the eyes..   It “brought out the child” in my neighbors across the street, and I found myself joining them with a sleigh ride down the side lawn on a plastic sled until we slid into the fence.  It was the same lawn, the same fence, the same hill that I had fun with in the snow when I was a little girl.  Only then, I rode on my mother’s cookie sheets.  She supplied the neighborhood with all her baking utensils and they were a great source of fun.  We didn’t need “flying  saucers” or manufactured toys.  I can still see those cookie sheets full of lumps and bumps.  But they still served as workable baking sheets in the kitchen.
Chris and David, my wonderful neighbors, bring out the child in me!
 The beauty of winter is upon us.  There’s a wonderful world outside our windows.  It’s even better if one does not have to drive in it.  It’s nice to stay inside and be warmed by the fire and be safe.  There is necessary work for many and I say prayers for my neighbors and family and friends who leave home to drive on slippery roads with traffic to contend with and work to drive to.  There is a trade off in life, however,…when you’re able to stay home and not have to go to work, you are retired and “old”.. Well, let’s say, you’re not getting any younger!
 Perhaps this is the time to really make resolutions and stick with them!  Don’t make too many, just stick with one or two.  “Just for today, I will live through the next twelve hours and not tackle my entire life’s problems at once.”  Or, “Just for today, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and believe that as I give to the world, the world will give to me”.  And thirdly, “Just for today, I will not find fault with a friend, relative or colleague.  I will not try to change anyone but myself”.  It’s alright to add on new resolutions, just keep the old as well.
 The bright lights in the Village Square are on again.  The bright lights of the park light up the neighborhood because of the work of Ruth Bairstow and her son, Bill, who found the problems and reconstructed the strings of light.  Ruth is the “fixer upper” of the council and will tackle any problem that she needs to do to fix it.  Thanks to Ruth, she has made many people happy who missed seeing the park lights as they drove by.  The council also participated in laying out the luminaries on the Bethany roads.  There were over 600 placed on Christmas Eve and retrieved on early Christmas morning.  Only dedicated people would give of their time to lovingly work on this project.  Because I might miss a few names, I will not release their identities at this writing, but thanks to all who participated!
The Bethany Presbyterian Church reenacted the Living Nativity Scene again in front of the Church.  Holiday parties and Open Houses were held  and decorations were abundant in front of many homes.  It’s a beautiful time of the year, but exhausting.  Wrapping, shopping. cooking,  sending cards and letters, working, and “keeping cool”  throughout this “most beautiful time of the year” can bring out the sadness in our hearts as well.
It’s called “tiredness, worn out, just can’t wait for Christmas to be over” syndrome.  I had a friend in Lois Blake, our then Pastor Gerald Blake’s wife.  We journalled together, and talked about our writings.  I shared  a symptom of mine with her.  I revealed that I “started out in high gear, but ended always in neutral”.  She  was my encourager, because she responded, “Well, at least, your motor is still running”.  I will always remember her as a good friend.  Lois had a sad ending when she met her death in an automobile accident on a slippery highway, but we all  here in Bethany lovingly remember her, and there is a plaque in the ground in front of the church with her name on it.
 I have so many books on my shelves still waiting to be read.  I won’t live long enough to read them all, but winter and these cold days and my fireplace with the warm fire give me an opportunity to take down one book at a time and “meet new friends and find new adventures in my book world”.
 In this marshmallow world,  a whipped cream day, enjoy it all, this life that is offered to you.  My  XM radio  is singing the words “Powder your face with sunshine, gloom never was in style.  Your future’s brighter, when hearts are lighter, smile, smile smile”.  That’s a good suggestion and a  great New Year’s resolution.   And may your motor run for a long, long time.  Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year!
 - Margaret S. Freeman