on the last hurrah of the holidays

I am not sure what normal is, but I hope that we will soon be back to it. The holidays are draining on an old guy…

We always try to make Christmas last the whole month of December and with kids away at school it seems easy to keep that holiday spirit while they are home. Monday they leave, but sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

My parents headed home to Alberta on Friday while the kids and I headed north to the Island’s only ski hill. We had a great day with my brother and his family, even though the snow was falling in blizzard like conditions up on the mountain. (Down below, where my brother lives, it was pouring rain – welcome to the Island!)

Our ski hill never has to make any snow, they just get tons of it because of their altitude and the fact that we are in a rain forest down here where the people live. On the mountain, it is just snow and more snow.

While we were there, I am sure we got at least six inches of snow, maybe more. It was really coming down. Just checking their website, I see that they have had another 50 cm since [that’s 19 inches in RealSpeak – they’ve had more than 3 feet in the last three days]. The weather made it a bit unpleasant for the skiing, especially the wind, but still… skiing is great anytime. And for me, anytime is now just twice in the last 27 years. Alas, time and money are always constraints. And now I am feeling that an aging body is becoming another constraint. I did ski. I didn’t fall down once! (I fell down four times…)

The trip was the first time skiing for my younger four. And the result? They want to go back. I guess they are hooked.

It is too bad we don’t live in snow country. My brother and I grew up skiing every weekend through the winter. We were skiing all day every Saturday, every Sunday afternoon after church [until time for evening church] and often on Fridays after school as well. Those were the days. Now when I ski, something funny happens in my legs and my upper thighs catch fire. I don’t ever remember that happening before?? If anyone can enlighten me…

Well it was a great way to finish off our holidays. Now it is back to reality. Work, life, death, taxes… all of those things are happening for us soon.

Brethren, let us pray for one another in the coming year!

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3