31 Days in December #20: Rehearsals and fondue chinoise

Can it be 5 days before Christmas? What are you doing today? In this final week before December 25? All organized? Doing a mad dash? Ignoring the season or just hoping you get through it?

W got a scare last night. His stomach seized up after supper. L took him to Emergency at the nearby Swiss hospital - where his systems (other than his stomach and high BP from pain) checked out fine. The nurse remarked that raclette disagrees with her (she never eats it after noon!) Too much cheese, maybe? (My cast-iron stomach didn't quiver.) Anyhow, after a very uncomfortable evening and night - with extreme pain at times - W relaxed this morning and began to recover.

D worked her final shift before New Years so we dropped her off at the bakery at 8:15am. From there, L and I spent most of the morning rehearsing in Wichtrach. By the time we were done, Leanne the opera singer had warmed up and was hitting a high C in her music programme. Cool. No one in our family gets stressed by a lack of perfection: we do our best, expect the same from others, and pray that all goes well at the performance. We improvise if plans change. Leanne is similarly relaxed, which makes rehearsals a pleasure.

L drove around the lake to the high school; his students performed their vocal solos at the final assembly of the year. He got back by mid-afternoon, in plenty of time to pick D up from work.

The Park Hotel in summer (too dark for pics today)

In the evening L and D treated us to their special Christmas gift, a fondue chinoise. Good thing we live on the slope of a Seattle hill; it was no problem to walk up the hill to the Park Hotel with Doris, while the guys drove. W's stomach finally settled down after a long morning nap and restful day but he was not pushing it. Plus it rained and parts of the road were slippery.

The owners of the Park Hotel

The hotel is a classic European wonder: clean, beautifully maintained, and restful in the way every detail is considered. The meal starts with a fresh salad with balsamic dressing. The bread? oh how I'll miss the softness of its dense texture and crispness of the crust. The server brought fries or rice to accompany the buffet of meats, fruits, and vegetables. Our broth deepened to a rich soup as we cook beef, pork, and chicken slices in it. We sipped the broth after eating.

We gals took the shortcut down the hill: several long flights of steps and a steep narrow road led through the neighborhood from the hotel to the street by their house. The cold air, fresh and clean, cleared our heads after the big meal.

These memories will be tucked away to enjoy in winters to come, when the warm winds blow across Indonesia and we miss our family.

Read more:
*You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 4:2

*Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:16

Moravian Prayer: God of the ages, you see us as we walk the fine line between fearing you and calling to you for our own purposes. Give us understanding of how fragile our human thoughts can be. Bless us with strength of spirit. Amen.

Sorry from a distance

The American East Coast is being pummeled by Storm Sandy. In Burma, thousands of refugees have fled sectarian fighting. In Africa, radical Muslims have brought havoc to Sudan and Mali. Indian Hindus and Islamists decimate villages and kill people who disagree with them.

Here on the West Coast, we watch reports of possible tsunamis in Hawaii, sitting in a comfy chair. We see photos of flooded streets in New York, dry, rested, and fully powered up. We gaze at the dark rainy landscape that is October in Seattle through windows, from warm rooms. We read news of world dangers with the light of a computer screen shining on our well-fed faces.

Our sense of security is temporary and our control of circumstances an illusion but we normally react in three ways to others' traumas:

1. We ignore everything outside our own experience. Life revolves around us and our comforts or discomforts.
2. We become fearful that the world is only awful and dangerous, waiting to spiral out of control. Life seems dark and unsafe: God can't be trusted because He allows terrors, wars, and sickness. Though we may not follow God ourselves, we blame Him for bad decisions by governments or individuals, the spread of illness, and religious decisions that produce famine, deprivation, and violence. After all (outside of our own free will, which we don't want Him to touch), isn't God responsible for the world?
3. We respond with prayer, care, and help for others. Jesus sorrowed with those who mourned and healed the sick. He took time out for the hurting and helpless. We have many opportunities to support those who go even when we cannot go to help. Choose prayerfully where and when to engage but don't ignore the needs around us, even from a distance.

What's your choice today?

Read more:
*He spoke and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9

*The Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, “See, your salvation comes.” Isaiah 62:11

*Jesus said to the deaf man, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Mark 7:34-35

*Christ was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 1 Peter 1:20

Moravian Prayer: Worship, honor, glory, blessing—you are worthy to receive! Great Creator and great Healer, we thank you for the gift of life. Open our ears and enable us to speak plainly the words of love and grace you would have us share with others.

 Holy Christ, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. In you we find consolation, salvation and joy. We pause now to thank you for your graciousness and pray for a daily sense of gratitude. In Christ’s name. Amen.