The Christmas Letter Episode

              Dear friends,
The time has come at last: the last installment of Woven Together's  year in the blogsphere. Now, I realize that that statement raises two points, both of which I will address. First, as I have never before explained the name of our blog, I suppose now is as good a time as any. So, the reason for the title is two-fold. First, we are building a family, and weaving together a story that is our life. Second, Heather chose this title as she is a crochet-enthusiast, and we are selling her creations to help fund our adoption. The second major point raised by my first sentence is that this blog is the last for the year. Now, I know that this may cause some panic among our most rabid readers, but rest assured. We will be back early next to post. Heather and I have decided to spend our break as free from internet/smartphones as we possibly can. We are looking forward with great anticipation to being able to relax and enjoy the pleasures of reading in front of a fire while sipping hot cocoa (or tea, in Heather's case). This sounds idyllic, I know, and I am longing for these simple pleasures more than you might imagine. Now that I have decided to embrace the Christmas spirit, I am having, surprisingly, a great deal of fun, and the next two weeks promise to enjoyable and memorable. Having said all of that, Heather suggested that I use this post to stand in for all of the Christmas cards/letters that we won't send (I am terrible about things like that, sorry). And so, let the Christmas letter begin.

          Dear friends,
We hope that our letter finds you well, wrapped in the love of Christ, and enjoying the companionship of family and friends during this, the most special time of year. We have had a very busy year. To start, just over a year ago, we purchased our first home. Just as we had been convinced we would never find a place to call our own, God opened a door for us, and provided a home that was beyond our wildest dreams. After a nightmarish moving process (don't ask- it hurts to remember), we had the house ready for our first Christmas hosting family. For almost a week, family stayed with us, and enjoyed how warm Georgia is in winter (I STILL miss snow).

        Not long after the weather turned, we made the second major change in our lives: we adopted Ringo, from a shelter in Big Canoe (which, if you know anything about it, will know what a truly confusing area it is, and so, will understand why I had such a hard time navigating my way around). Ringo was two, and had lived almost his whole life at the shelter. We were told it might take him some time to get used to us and show us affection. They were right- it took almost two whole minutes before he was licking our faces (what a very standoffish dog). Since then, a good portion of my life has been walking the little prince (no, not THAT little Prince [and no, Ringo does not wear purple {or any color for that matter- I hate dog clothes}]) in the rain, the heat, and if we are lucky, the snow. He and I have discovered many cool places to walk, including a cow pasture, where just the other day, well, I'll let the picture speak for itself: [Writer's note: I spent an hour trying to get some photos to upload from my phone, but alas, they quality was so low that I was unable use any for the blog]. Since that did not work, I'll just tell you. The other day, cows were out in the pasture, and they let Ringo get within ten feet, before they would move away. He was remarkably well-behaved around the cows, which was good, as I didn't feeling like getting Ringo cow-kicked (and for those of you who the song about Mrs. O'Leary, you know what I am talking about). As I write this, Ringo is lying on the floor of the office, bathing in rays of sun  coming through the window [he has such a hard life, poor boy...].

        If those two things weren't major enough, 2012 still had several surprises in store. In August, Heather started teaching violin lessons at a local music store in the evenings. Heather loves teaching so much that she was willing to give up several evenings every week in order to teach violin (in addition to the students she teaches at our house on Saturdays (which explains all of the dog-walking that I do). She has been loving it, and enjoys getting to pass along her gift to others. If you have never heard her play, I suggest you stop by some day- it's worth it, I promise. As Heather begin violin lessons, my cross country teams turned some heads at state- winning the boys' division and taking runner-up in the girls' division. All-in-all, a pretty exciting fall for us. And to top it off- we did something I thought we would never do. We bought a motorcycle. For the past 6.5 years, we have been living with only one vehicle, and that had become so challenging that we gave in and bought the bike (which most of you have seen). It has been a blast! Heather keeps me safe by requiring that I wear all sorts of protective gear when I ride (which on more than one occasion has been the difference between a non-eventful ride and an accident). I am still thankful to Heather for allowing me to get the bike, and her indulgence of my habit of going on rides for no real reason.Ghanima (the bike) has given me a real sense of freedom, and helps me relax after a long day at school.

        The last major event this year has been the reason for the blog: our adoption. I can't begin to thank everyone enough for their support, contributions, and words of encouragement. You are changing our lives, and you may not even be aware of that, so I want you (yes, you. I am talking to YOU) to know that we are both thankful beyong all expression for how loving you have been. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. As we head into a new year, we both take comfort from knowing that you are going along on this journey with us, and are partnering us in this whole process. THANK YOU! From the bottom of my what in most people would be called a heart, thank you!

        The final shout-outs of 2012: Mom and Dad, thanks for your love, and support, both with the adoption and in helping us buy the bike. Barb and Ed, thanks again for donating to our adoption, and again, for help with the down-payment on the house. Kim and Jon Kranz, thanks for such a generous donation!! We miss you and Sam a ton! Dr. David Will finished medical school, and is now a doctor working with  (don't hate me if I mess this up) Indiana University health systems! I can't believe it: my little brother is a doctor. I also want to thank my basketball team for continually inspiring me. Girls, I could not have asked for a better team, and I am having more fun than I have in a long, long time. Finally, I want to everyone who, in whatever way, helped make this such a special year for Heather and me. We join together in sending our love-

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and a Happy New Year to all! We will see you again soon!

Much love,

-J&H-

Songs of Christmas Confusion

          Once again,
We find ourselves back in our accustomed places: me here, sitting behind a computer and laboring to complete my thoughts; you there, enjoying my lack of coherence and cogency. Nevertheless, as we are once again met in council, I suppose that I should speak my mind and let you get back to whatever else it is that you have planned for today. Or tonight, if that is the appropriate ToD. Or whenever in the diurnal cycle you are taking up fourth-dimensional space to get to the bottom of this post. We had our annual Christmas Chapel at school yesterday, and not surprisingly, we sang many Christmas songs. Which got me thinking.
         Which is never a good thing. Which led me to decide on a topic for today's post. Which then compelled me to write about that topic for your enjoyment. Or disgust. Or any emotion you feel appropriately describes the sensations you experience while reading. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Christmas songs. The title of the post today describes an issue that bears discussing, but is one that many people are too ashamed admit to: Christmas song lyric confusion.
         Now, I know that none of you will admit to this, so let me be the first. I have been unaware of many correct song lyrics for many years, and so I have a list of songs that I sing incorrectly, even though I now know the right words. See? That admission wasn't so hard. Now, we can cover some of the oldie-but-goodie lyric mistakes that surround Christmas.
         First, when you sing, "Hark, the Herald Angels", it really is Herald (as in a person who announces visitors to a king), and not Harold, some lonely angel we have never heard of before. As a kid, I always thought that Harold was the right lyric, and even today, I can't help but think about it every time I hear the song.
         Another commonly mis-sung lyric comes to us from "Silent Night". The most common mis-singing in this song is from the line, "Round yon virgin, mother and Child." The most common mistake here is that the word "yon" is sung as "young". Don't get me wrong, Mary was certainly young. However, this lyric actually means to sit near (round) the person over there (yon) who is a virgin. So, try not to mess that one up any more if possible. Kthxbai. Just kidding. We aren't done yet (and please, keep your moaning to yourself, as I can hear you all the way over here).
        If you prefer more modern Christmas lyrics and associate mistakes, please consider the song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." The first line of the song is, "Rockin' around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party hop." This, of course, is a reference to the sock-hop days of yore. However, in most versions of the songs, the part about the "Christmas party hop" gets so garbled that it usually sounds something like, "Rockin' around the Christmas tree at the Christmas hardy-har." Also from the same song is the charming lyric, "deck the halls with boughs of holly", which comes out sounding like, "deck the halls with balls of holly." Given that holly is a tree, I find it highly unlikely that you can make a ball out of a tree (without extensive carving, which the song DOES NOT imply).
       And finally, at least for today,  I must mention the grandest of all mis-singings of which I am aware. You are most likely familiar with "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", which begins, "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry..." The mis-singing that I want to mention here stems from a version of the song created by my second cousin Dan T. As a child, he created the following lyric, which I always end up singing, more than a decade after its invention: "You'd better watch out, you'd better say, 'John', cause Johnny won't not coming onnee. Satches won't work, hatches won't work, you never know if matches will work. Santa Claus is coming to the people running through the citeee. You'd better watch out, you'd better say, 'John' cause Johnny won't not comin onnee baw-wao-waom." I have no idea what this rendition of the song means, but boy, was it ever catchy, and just as I am stuck with it, I am fairly certain that at least some of you will also be stuck with it. Well, at least misery loves company. I would love to hear any renditions of any of your favorite mis-sung Christmas songs as well, so let me know. Also, since Heather would like me mention adoption at least once a post, let me do it this way: If you are looking for a way to assuage some holiday-hedonism-guilt, perhaps the best method is to donate to an organization that either helps families adopt a child, or an organization that offers support to mothers who do not want to abort a child, but, for whatever reason, cannot keep it. Given how rampant unexpected (which sounds a lot nicer than unwanted) pregnancy is, even in the US, a few dollars can go a long way toward saving, or at the very least, changing the life of a child. I am not saying this in an effort to raise funds for our adoption (although that would be nice), but rather to make people aware of how much help they can give mothers and children who are in need. Just a little food for thought. The next time you hear from me, I will be a free man: free from school and exams and tests for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!!!! It goes without saying that my brain will be mush, but at least I will be free, and perhaps will find the time to write a deep, and life-changing post that will bring Christmas (or Hannukah) cheer to all of you faithful readers. In the meantime, I hope that you find the opportunity to show kindness to a stranger or two, which after all, is really much more satisfying than getting a mountain of "stuff" and overeating at the office holiday party. Until then amigos,
Auf wiedersehen!
-J&H-

That Time of Year, Again

         Hello again, friends. I apologize for the tardiness of this latest installment to our blog, and I am sorry that so many of you were kept in such suspense for such a long time. But, as the title of the post suggests, it's that time of year, again. You know, the one where you have multiple basketball games each week, and you are desperately trying to create exams for classes while simultaneously continuing to teach those same classes in order to get them ready for said exams? Oh, wait. That's me, not you. Sorry for the mistake. When I put my head down and get to work, I tend to forget that not all people are teachers, and so most of you probably have no idea what I am talking about. That's ok. And no, I don't need sympathy. Why? Because, it's that time of year, again.
           That's right, it's that time of year when I am almost on Christmas vacation, and the world seems so bright and full of promise (figuratively, of course, as December has the shortest, darkest day of the year). Also, it's that time of year, again, when students begin bringing in treats to share, and the neighborhood is lit with all of the bright lights I remember from childhood. An amazing thing has been happening to me this year, and it's something I have never experienced before. For many years now, I have been known as a grinch to my students and friends around this time of year (and yes, the lectern in my room does has a picture of the Grinch taped to it). For many years, I have been exhausted by all of the lights, cookies, caroling, decorating, etc, as I have found these activies trite and repetitive. But now that it's that  time of year, again, I am seeing things in a different light (ha ha). Even though we are still a long way from completing our adoptive journey, I have begun viewing the Christmas (and or Kwanza and or Hannukah) season through the eyes of a potential child. I am being reminded that that time of year, again, isn't something to dread, but something to embrace. I am in the process of remembering the joy of the little things, like baking cookies, or sitting watching a fire on a cold night. I am remembering the innocence and excitement that all children seem to have during the festive season. I am also beginning to visualize what it will be like to finally have a little one of my own to pass on Christmas traditions to, and watch as he or she (hopefully not it, as I don't want to adopt a Hooloovoo [see the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for an explanation]) gets to experience all of the joy that being part of a loving family at Christmas time can bring.
              And finally, it's that time of year, again. The time when we begin to look ahead to the next year, and we begin to make promises to ourselves about the changes will make in our lives. I want to propose a change to that tradition. I propose that instead of using the end of the year to ve overly indulgent, and then promise we will do "better" next year, we should spend the days between now and the end of the year being extravangantly king and loving to one another, so that when the year ends, we will look back and be confident that our actions had a lasting impact on OTHERS, and that we will forget about the commercialism, hedonism, and general insanity spurred by the various toy and diamond companies. Let us make that time of year, again, into "that time of year again!!!!!!!" Friends, be good one another.

        Until the next time,
-John and Heather-