December 16, 2002
Anticipation
___ Christmas has arrived at the Wingfield house. The stockings are hung, the candles abound, the tree is up and the peanut butter balls are dipped and ready to go.
___I wish I could say all the presents are bought, wrapped and under the tree, but that would be asking too much. I am afraid we have many malls to go before we sleep.
___Some of my friends have complained that they don't know what to get their kids because their kids haven't given them many ideas about what they want for Christmas. That hasn't been a problem in ourhousehold. Garrett's list is so long I told him it ought to count for the next three Christmases and birthdays combined. And Luke's list isn't coming up short either. To make things worse, they keep discovering more things they want to add as they pore over each new catalog or newspaper ad. I told them enough is enough--they're not going to get everything on their lists as it is, so why add more to it?
ALISON WINGFIELD
___Another sign of the Christmas season in our household in music. In addition to piano and choir music, the boys have added a new dimension this year--band instruments. With Luke on the trumpet and Garrett on the saxophone, our house has not been lacking in noise--I mean music. The boys are diligently practicing for their upcoming band concert, where all the area elementary schools that feed into our high school will be performing together in one big hooha. Oh my.
___I have heard "Feliz Navidad" in a whole new way. Many times. I've learned to mentally fill in the gaps where other instruments are supposed to be playing. The ultimate is when they don't have their instruments in the car (oh the bliss) and they start humming their parts. (Actually, I'm pretty impressed they can do that, but I can only take so much of "Feliz Navidad" in one day.)
___In this Advent season, I've been reminded through the lives of our children that hope indeed springs eternal.
___ Our pastor referenced this the first Sunday of Advent in a sermon on anticipation. Kids in the weeks leading up to Christmas are the very picture of anticipation.
___Luke and Garrett are no exception. As Alison said, they've made their lists and checked them twice. And boy are those long lists.
___Even though we have told the boys several major items on their lists are absolutely out of the question, that does not deter their ability to hope. Having only this year allowed Game Boys--and having regretted it on more than one occasion--I'm not keen to move on to the further distraction of Game Cubes and X-Boxes.
MARK WINGFIELD
___ So Luke and Garrett try to work every angle imaginable.
___ "What if someone gave us an X-Box?" one of them asks periodically. "Would you let us keep it?"
___ "What if we won a Game Cube?" the other chimes in. "We'd have to take it, wouldn't we?"
___ The fact that neither of those things is going to happen bears no restraint on their anticipation that it could.
___ Sometimes, we adults can learn from this boundless hope, especially when it's applied in the service of others.
___ We have a friend at church who has come to Texas from Burundi, fleeing political persecution. He left behind his wife and family to save his life, and now he's struggling to make ends meet in our economic downturn.
___ This week, he started a new part-time job working nights at Target. We are all excited about his new opportunity, even though it's not as much income as he really needs.
___ Nevertheless, Luke has prayed for our friend with great enthusiasm, remembering him every night for more than a week. He is asking God to help our friend become employee of the month at Target and get an immediate promotion.
___ That is faith with anticipation. And a reminder that children sometimes know better than we that with God all things are indeed possible.
PREVIOUS HE SAID/ SHE SAID COLUMNS:
2001: 1/1, 1/8, 1/22, 2/5, 2/12, 3/5, 4_19, 4/2, 4/23, 5/14 6/11, 6/25, 7/9, 7/23, 8/13, 9/3, 9/17, 10/9, 11/26, 12/3, 12/17
2002: 1/14, 2/4, 3/11, 4/8, 5/20, 6/24, 8/5, 9/9, 11/4
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