Things come not early, but just in time

Here are some more pictures from Randall's website. (Thanks, Randall). Donovan was "Checkers" the honey bear in the Kid's Choir concert at Church two weeks ago. He did a fine job. Knew his lines cold and even handled some fun sarcastic humor Dan had written in.


He looked so sweet. I was very proud. There sure are a lot of pageant type events this time of year. I hope my boys don't become resentful of all the performing. (They have a school concert tomorrow night, too.) Anyway, I think it's great and it's a fun tradition. It's a way to know the young people better and hopefully bless the socks off us older types too.

It's times like this I'm glad I live in a small arts village. Things like this happen with the smallest spark of an idea.

Things are warming up around here and I can see some pavement on the highway instead of just pressed satin snow. The sun is shining and all the white is reflecting brilliantly.

Weston is captivated by the Narnia tapes again. Right now he's listening to "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". I nearly wept at the breakfast table as I was listening and drinking my smoothie. Narrator Paul Scoffield read Lewis' words after Aslan has stripped the layers off Eustace and thrown him into the pool. "I'd like to say that everafter Eustace was a different boy, but the be accurately truthful, he began to be a better boy. He healing had begun." Those words really comfort me.

They're better than a commercial slogan and they're better than despair. The wonderful redemptive reality is that once we allow ourselves to be stripped and washed by Aslan our healing as BEGUN and it will continue; maybe not quickly, but surely.

Rosebud is a real magical place at Christmas. Part of me is tempted to stay and not have to budge from my snowy hamlet --free from work and free from school and free from travel. But then -- no. We get to go home. We get to see both our families and share in tradition and Christmas back in Oregon. The boys can hardly wait to see their cousins, they look up to them so much. It'll be great to see Charlie and Judy too - can't remember how long it's been since we've been in the same room, although Skype has been great. I think Gramps and Grams are in for an encounter with some independent minded grandsons.

Here's hoping Dave and I can finish our duties before we leave --that would be so great!

I stayed up last night and finished draft 6 of my play "I Heard the Bells". I made that deadline back in October and I kept it, but I know there are still things that should be changed or improved. Funny, how those shifts don't come early. They only come just in time. Suddenly I was changing scenes around and dropping lines and writing new - just asserting things without pausing to evaluate. It's risky, this playwriting thing. I think I might be half way through this process.