Season’s Greetings

I’m sorry I was missing at the end of last week and didn’t post as I normally do on Thursday.

I have been having a bit of a hard time.

Physically, I haven’t been up to par.

For the newspaper I’ve been covering a lot of court recently, some very hard cases that make me think (for a while only) that there is no goodness in the world.

And I’ve been struggling with my decisions regarding my mother.

Late last week, as I drove back to Altavista from court in Rustburg, I wondered how Christmas and the other holidays this time of year can even occur when there is so much strife and unhappiness and despair in the world.

I still put a Christmas CD on in the car, though. And I heard these words from “Who Comes This Night,” a song written by Sally Stevens and Dave Grusin and sung by James Taylor on his album “James Taylor at Christmas”:

Who sends this song upon the air,

To ease the soul that’s aching?

To still the cry of deep despair

And heal the heart that’s breaking.

-

The light and the hope of the season aren’t just for those happily getting together with family, singing carols, opening presents, and eating big meals together.

The light and the hope are for those who feel lost, those who feel sad, those who are at the point where they feel nothing.

The light and the hope remind us of the good in the world. They are comfort to those who need it.

And we all need comfort sometimes.

May all of you who celebrate a holiday this time of year enjoy the season. And may all of you have joy and peace always.

I’ll be back next Monday, Dec. 29.

Where I’m from

This weekend, Larry and I drove to Rustburg, the county seat of Campbell County in Central Virginia.

I grew up in the country, so I don’t really have a “hometown.” But Rustburg was the closest thing to a town around our farm (six miles away), so I’ve always thought of it as the place I’m from.

To call Rustburg a town is a bit generous. It’s really a village. In fact, the road that runs through it is called Village Highway.

When I was growing up, if my parents or a neighbor said “We’re going to town,” they meant they were going to Lynchburg.

In my work for the newspaper, I visit Rustburg frequently to cover a court case or a Board of Supervisors meeting.

But our trip this weekend was for something fun: the Rustburg Christmas Parade.

After we parked the car, I got out my camera and snapped some photos of some of the “landmarks” in the village to share to give you a sense of where I’m from.

This first shot is actually from 2013. I took it before last year’s parade and liked it because it shows the main road through the village with Long Mountain (not very high) in the background.

From this year, here is the Citizen Services Building. It’s the newest county building, constructed to house the offices that closely serve the citizens. It includes the Treasurer’s Office, the Commissioner of Revenue’s Office, and the Community Development Office, which includes zoning, planning, and stormwater management.

I took this photo from too far off to get a clear shot, but I wanted to show you the building that the public library was housed in when I was a young girl. This is where I spent many happy hours.

Now the building houses the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office and the Farm Agency Office.

This is the current Rustburg Library. The School Administration Office is closer to the street, with the library at the end. It’s one of four branches in the county. One branch is in Altavista.

This is probably the most recognizable building to those knowledgeable about Campbell County history. It’s the Historic Courthouse, built in the 1840s. It was used by the courts until the new courthouse was built in the early 1980s.

The Historic Society of Campbell County is doing fundraising and working on renovating the building to enlarge its museum and preserve the county’s heritage.

This is the “new” courthouse. It’s not as impressive as the old one, but it’s nice. Some weeks I spend a lot of time within these walls.

Here’s another view of the courthouse. The adult detention center is connected to it.

This is a side view of Rustburg Presbyterian Church. It’s not a great shot, but it was what I was able to get with the parade crowds around me.

I don’t know how old the building is, but the way the brick is laid makes me think it has been around for a while. I’ve always thought it was a pretty church.

Members of the church give away free cookies and hot chocolate at the parade each year.

So there’s a little view of where I’m from. Altavista is part of Campbell County, and I’ve lived there for 11 years. But it still feels a bit like I’m visiting my old “home” when I go to Rustburg.

What do you consider your hometown to be?

A pause in the overwhelm

“The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.”

-Buddy in the movie Elf

  

A hectic week behind me and another one ahead. Or so it seems when I think of all that I have to do. I remind myself that I don’t have to do everything at once, and it will all get done eventually. Right?

Larry and I spent some time outside the Land of Overwhelm Sunday. We got out the trees (one large and one small) and decorated the large one that we put in the den. Here’s a photo taken with my phone:

 

We still need to add the finishing touches, including the tree skirt.

While we decorated, we watched the movie Elf. My blogger friend Keith Wynn of Musings of An Unapologetic Dreamer recommended the movie as one of his favorites, and he recently sprinkled Facebook with quotes from it.

We enjoyed Elf. It made us laugh and feel a bit more lighthearted about the holidays.

As we go through this week, let’s find ways to take a break from the work and stress and enjoy the moment.

Chase Bird isn't sure what he thinks of the intrusion of the tree. His expression says it all.

What is your favorite holiday movie?

Getting in the holiday spirit

I'm sharing some shots of nature-based ornaments that were on the tree in the Peaks of Otter Lodge.

The other day, a friend told me he just wasn’t in the Christmas spirit yet. Even though lights and trees and other decorations seem to have spilled out onto the landscape within the last week or so, he’s just not there yet.

I’m not quite there yet, either. I think part of it has to do with the differences in planning and decorating that have occurred since I was a child.

When I was a child, stores didn’t usually put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. When I went with my parents to Lynchburg to shop in December, part of the pleasure was to walk along the sidewalks and look at each store’s window displays.

Each store had something different—angel figures or a Santa Claus or trees. If the display had a moving part—like a Santa that waved his hand—that made it even more fun.

And I would start to get excited.

We always had a live pine tree that my father set up in the living room. It would go up about a week before Christmas. Putting the lights on was the first hurdle. Back then, if one light on a strand went out, they all went out. Someone would have to check each one to find the burned out light.

Then came the ornaments and finally the crowning touch—icicles. I loved the sight of the silver strands hanging from the tree.

Then the time crawled by until Christmas Day.

How things have changed. Whether they’ve changed for the better depends on your perspective.

Christmas decorations show up in the stores after Halloween. Christmas music starts playing on the radio before Thanksgiving. The effect on me is that I start feeling behind before December even gets here.

I haven’t started shopping! Should we put the tree up this weekend? What about outside decorations? Everyone has their decorations up except me!

Once I start participating a little in the season, at my own pace, I begin to feel less panicked. I remind myself that I don’t have to do everything that everyone else does to prepare for the holidays.

I haven’t finished my shopping, but I have done some. And it was all online. Shopping online takes away a lot of my stress about shopping. I just don’t like getting in the crowded stores if I can help it.

We’ll probably put up our tree this weekend. Larry and I put up pre-lit artificial trees. The lights are LED, so they don’t get so hot like the big bulbs would.

No icicles. Little kitties might eat them. And they seem irritating now, with the static electricity that makes them stick to everything.

Christmas movies also get me in the holiday spirit. Larry loves “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby, and we check the listings to make sure we can watch it at least once during the holidays. We also like some of the Hallmark Channel’s movies. I always watch out for “A Dog Named Christmas” and “November Christmas.”

We have our favorite Christmas music, too. Larry likes the older pop songs the best. I like the carols best. We both like listening to the CDs of Susan Boyle, Josh Groban, and James Taylor. I listen to them as I drive, a way I can include celebration in the day.

And then there are the parades. The Altavista Christmas Parade is tonight. I’ll be taking pictures for the paper. The Rustburg Christmas Parade (Rustburg is our county seat) is Dec. 14, and I’ll be there, too. By then, I will be excited.

My Christmas spirit has grown quieter as I’ve gotten older. I listen to the words of the songs more closely. I meditate more on what the meaning behind the celebration is for me. I think about all the holidays people celebrate this month.

 Times have changed. That’s normal and that’s OK. But do you know something that hasn’t changed? I still have a hard time falling asleep on Christmas Eve.

Has the way you feel about the holidays changed as you’ve gotten older? If so, how?

The Christmas season: Joy and sorrow both have their places

The Joy

I hope you have been enjoying the holidays. We had a very nice Christmas.

Christmas Eve was spent with my mother-in-law and my stepdaughter and her family. Then we had Christmas dinner with my mother and one of my brothers and his wife.

And Santa visited the Barbour household and was very generous.

Chase Bird sniffed out his stocking after I laid it under the tree Christmas morning—I think he smelled the catnip in the toys.

He dragged the stocking around. Then we helped him get his new toys out. He seemed pleased.

I received something in my stocking that I’ve never received before: a bag of coal. I thought I had been pretty good this year, but apparently . . . Santa thought otherwise.

Oh, well, there was plenty of candy in the stocking, too. And actually, the coal is really candy.

The Sorrow

The ending of the Christmas holidays always leaves me feeling a bit low. But this year I’m trying to take a different perspective.

One of my mother’s younger sisters died last Saturday morning. It was not unexpected—she had been suffering from terminal cancer. But it’s always a sobering shock to hear of the death of someone who has been in your life—your whole life.

This week a person in our community who was probably known by just about everyone died. He was a good man, a public servant who served the schools and the citizens of the county for most of his life.

So how do we make sense of sorrow in the midst of the joy that we’re “supposed” to feel this time of year?

Somehow the sorrow seems to be in direct opposition to the holidays. But maybe it’s not.

The Christmas Story, whether you take it literally or figuratively, is one of love. Grace, peace, compassion—they are all there in the story.

Other religions teach love, too. As a Christian, I happen to celebrate Christmas.

For me, Christmas is a reminder of the love that we must share if life is to hold any meaning. Loving others is acting out the love of God. It’s love that we celebrate, and it’s love that comforts.

And if Christmas is a time of remembering this love, then that love should be lived out for the rest of the year.

Maybe the festivities are drawing to a close. But the love is not.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Barbours: Larry, Tina and Chase Bird! May your holiday season be peaceful and joyful.

*I won’t be blogging again this week until Friday. But I hope to be visiting your blogs.

Random 5 Friday: Leaves and Christmas preparations

I’m so happy that this week Nancy of A Rural Journal is again hosting her wonderful meme, Random 5 Friday. During her break, I have been posting randoms on Friday, but it’s not the same without Nancy.

Check out her blog HERE, and find other bloggers enjoying sharing their random facts and experiences.

One

Larry got up the last of the leaves Wednesday (yes, we still had leaves in the yard) and then put up the lighted trees he made last year, along with the lighted Santa. I like having a festive display in the yard.

Two

We never know the exact day the town truck will come by to pick up leaves. While Larry was working on the leaves the other day, he looked up and saw the truck. The driver slowed down in front of the house but then drove on by. Larry thought he had missed it, and we’d have the leaves down by the street for a while.

But later that day, the truck came back to get them. I thought that was a great customer service by the town.

Three

When I was at Avoca last week, I saw some vases with tree ornaments in them. 

I thought it was a pretty and simple way to decorate. So I tried it at home.

Four

Another little decoration that gets pulled out each year is this snowman that plugs into Larry’s laptop. He turns different colors.

For reasons he doesn’t know, Larry’s dad called him “Frosty” as a nickname when Larry was a boy. And Larry also loves snow. So we have several snowman decorations around the house, and they bring back sweet memories of Larry’s dad, who passed away seven years ago.

Five

I finally—finally—finished shopping and decorating. I want to do a little cooking, just simple dishes to enjoy.

One thing I didn’t get done is Christmas card writing. I’ve decided it’s OK. 

Blogging friends

One of the wonderful surprises I’ve experienced with blogging is the chance for new friendships.

No, online friendships are not the same as face-to-face friendships. But connections are made even when we don’t meet each other face-to-face.

With readers of this blog and writers of other blogs, I’ve shared life experiences. I’ve received moral support, inspiration and encouragement. And I’ve had plain fun conversations with people I would never have met if not for the Internet.

One of those blogging friends is Patty of Patty’s Pretty Things.

The word “pretty” goes perfectly with Patty. She’s a pretty lady with a pretty personality who makes creative and—you guessed it—pretty things.

I love reading her blog and seeing pictures of the art she makes. She takes vintage items and creates new pieces that are not only beautiful to look at, but honor the people who used those items first.

Her family and her home are very important to Patty, and she celebrates them with her art.

Patty recently sent me a Christmas package. When I opened the package, I was so excited to find this:

This lovely Christmas card is an example of the paper art Patty makes.

These cardinal tags came complete with ribbon to use to attach them to packages I give out this year.

The kitty faces on these cards are so sweet. How did Patty know I like cats? (smile)

I can’t wait to send out these butterfly cards.

Patty made my day with this fun and pretty package. She’s so sweet. I hope you will check out her blog and see many more pretty things she’s made.

Thank you, Patty! And thank you to all my blogging friends who make my life richer from just knowing you.

What do you like best about your blogging friendships?

Products that help me through the hectic times

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about feeling down during the holiday season. I’ve been practicing as many of my coping measures as I can. I haven’t been getting up early enough to journal, and I haven’t played my keyboard, but all in good time.

I’ve also been turning to certain products this holiday season to help me navigate the stress and hectic nature that this time of year can include.

Holiday lights

I love being surrounded by the tree lights and other lights on decorations. They light up the darkness and make me feel warm and safe.

Battery-powered candles

I think I write about these every Christmas, but I just love them. I get to have the pleasure of candlelight without the worry of lighting a real candle, or having a real candle sitting around in reach of a jumping cat.

Some would consider this an avoidance of dealing with an obsession in OCD. Essentially, I’m not facing my harm obsession manifesting as fear of fire.

But I believe that some obsessions can be dealt with in ways other than exposing myself fully to the object of my fear. I think in this case, I’m choosing a safe alternative to lit candles in a house with a cat. And if I had to light a candle, I could. I’m choosing not to.

Not everyone will agree with me. But it works for me.

Lipton Soothe Smooth Green Tea

We just recently discovered this. I’m usually not a big fan of green tea, but this tea has a delicate, light taste, and it really seems to soothe me. I enjoy having a cup in the evening as I wind down.

I especially like to drink it in a holiday mug I found at a local thrift store.

(Note: I was not asked to write about this brand of tea or compensated to do so. These opinions are mine.)

My phone

My timer function on my iPhone has been very helpful to me. It’s easy for me to lose track of time. I get involved in whatever I’m doing and time goes by.

So I’ve started using a timer when I really need to be reminded to look up from my work.

For example, often Larry calls me at work to see if I’d like to go to lunch. After I hang up, I set the timer for nine minutes. It takes about that long for him to leave the house and drive over to my office. When the timer goes off (with a soothing tone), I know it’s time to put my coat on and go out the front door of the office building. This saves me from running late, keeping Larry waiting, and just feeling frazzled.

Gas logs

The gas logs help heat the house. We have a furnace and a heat pump, though. What we really use the gas logs for is comfort.

Chase Bird loves to sit by the fire, warming his tummy, then his back.

In the late evenings, I like to curl up on the sofa. The tree on the dining table is behind me. Candles are on the mantel. And the fire is going. It’s so peaceful.

The photos I took of Chase by the fire turned out blurry. By the time I realized it, I couldn’t get him to return to the fire for a retake. 

Do you have a favorite product that makes life a little easier?

Old houses, Christmas decorations and another parade

I’m still doing randoms on Friday. Random 5 Friday is a meme started by Nancy of A Rural Journal. Nancy is taking a break, but it’s hard for me to give up my randoms.

So here we go for this week.

One

Becky Green Aaronson of The Art of an Improbable Life recently did a giveaway of a 2014 Creative Peeps Inspirational Calendar she designed and produced through Improbable Publishing. I won!

I already have it set up on my desk, ready for the new year. I’m looking forward to having an inspirational quote in front of me to help carry me through my work.

Please stop by Improbable Publishing and have a look at the calendar. Becky is donating $1 from every sale of a calendar to cancer research.

Two

Please visit Lisa at Two Bears Farm for a wonderful story about a horse rescue and continuing work to help horses in need.

Lisa is such a kind person with a generous heart for people and animals. I have been inspired by her, and I know you will be, too.

Three

Last Saturday was my mother-in-law’s 91^st birthday. To celebrate, we took her out for an early dinner at J.T.’s at the Lavalette, a restaurant in Gretna in the next county over.

The restaurant is in the Lavalette House, a lovely historic house. It was decorated so beautifully for Christmas.

And the food was great, too.

These photos were taken with my phone.

Four

Every year, the staff at the newspaper I work for have a Christmas photo taken. We put it in the Christmas issue of the paper, and it goes in the publishing company’s newsletter.

We went to Avoca in Altavista this week for the photo. The news editor at a sister paper met us there and took the group picture.

According to its website, Avoca was built in 1901 and is built in the American Queen Anne style. It’s on the site of the home of Col. Charles Lynch of the American Revolutionary War.

Avoca was decorated for its annual Christmas open house. I got some photos on my phone to share. They're not great photos, but they will give you a sense of the place, I hope.

Five

The local high school’s football team, the Altavista Colonels, will play in Salem on Saturday for the Group 1A state championship. My paper’s editor and sports reporter will cover it, of course. I don’t think Larry and I are going. But we’ll probably be listening to the game on the radio and hoping for a win. Go, Colonels!

And this week, I have a sixth random.

Six

I’ve got another Christmas parade to photograph on Sunday afternoon. It’s the Rustburg Christmas Parade. It was rescheduled from last Sunday, when we had all the ice.

I’m looking at a very busy time at work next week. We’ll be working not only on the Journal issues but on Forest Life, a monthly publication we also publish.

We’ll be laying out the Dec. 25 issue of the paper a day early, Monday, Dec. 23. So that means we have to have all our copy and photos done early.

With all that in mind, I’m taking today off. I have comp time to use, and I really need to get stuff done, like Christmas shopping, card sending, a bit of decorating, working on my editing business set up, etc.

I know this time of year gets busy and hectic for so many of us. Let’s all take a collective deep breath and focus on what’s most important in our lives.