28 years ago...

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart. Don't we look young!! ("We were!" Coty said. "Yep!")

Sometimes when people walk into my living/music room and see that picture, they do a double take thinking it's Erin! And Coty and Thomas look so much alike, too. It's funny.

How blessed we have been in our 28 years. Today we were surrounded by all five boys and Coty's parents. We'll have our own celebration later when we have a bit more time and can get an overnight away. For today, it was sweet to share the day with loved ones gathered.

And one little gift I'll show you. Coty and I used to read a lot more together at night in bed before we went to sleep. We've gotten out of the habit but starting tonight we're reinstituting it. The problem is I'm usually so sleepy in the evening that I find it hard to focus on the reading! I thought if I had a knitting project to work on, I'd be a more attentive listener. So, I made this itty-bitty journal to record the books he reads to me and the projects I work on while we read. It's amazing how many books you can read and how much knitting you can do in just 20 minutes or so before turning out the light every night. Coty has fond memories of hearing the quiet sound from the bedroom down the hall of his father reading aloud to his mother every night - not the television, not loud voices, just quiet, constant reading together. I think that's a precious memory. And I'm looking forward to putting that together time back into the rhythm of our days.

Christmas week...

I loved our Christmas celebrations this year. They do not change much from year to year and it is the constancy of the same activities and stories, the anticipation and remembrance that I love. On Christmas Eve, we go to church together. The service always includes lots of scripture and singing. It is a precious time to ponder prophecy and fulfillment, the fortelling, announcement and coming of Jesus. This year was no different and I loved the quiet reading and joyful singing. The service was followed by hot cider and cookies and a time of fellowship.

When we got home, we did what we always do, we read two stories, "Ramona and the Three Wise Persons" from Beverly Cleary's book, Ramona and Her Father and "A Full House" by Madeline L'Engle. We can all almost recite these stories by heart now but their familiarity makes them dear. The boys know to get Daddy a glass of water before he starts to read because he will always choke up at the same place in the reading of "A Full House." It happened the first year and it has happened every year since, no matter who shares the reading with us. I remember reading that story with missionary families in Cameroon and with other friends over the years. Anyway, we read the stories and then opened one gift each. It's the same every year...

But then, some of us added something new this year. I thought that Jonathan, who now attends Christ Church, Hamilton would like to go to a later Christmas Eve Communion service, so some of us drove over to St. Alban's in Davidson for their late service. It was sweet to hear the carols, listen once again to the Christmas readings from Scripture, take communion, and join with other believers lighting our small candles in the darkness to Silent Night. Then we walked out into the cold night air and talked about worship on the way home. Thanks, J.

A few hours of sleep and then...


Some explanation of this picture is in order. When my children were young, they listened to Adventures in Odyssey on the radio. Like many young people their age, they can still quote lines from Whit, Connie, Eugene, and the Whit's End crowd. They remember with fondness the foibles of the Barclay family, but are permanently scarred, I think, by one particular episode in which the Barclay family comes downstairs on Christmas morning to find that all of their presents have been stolen. Well, that has stuck in my boys' minds ever since the first time they heard it and I think every year the thought crosses their minds that maybe, just maybe, this year the presents will be gone on Christmas morning. As they descended the stairs this year, they once again remembered George, Mary, Donna, and Jimmy and gave us "oh, no, the presents are gone" faces....except for Thomas, who was, I think, not quite awake. This, despite the fact that for the first time in Pinckney family recorded history, the children did not wake us up at 7:00 on Christmas morning. It had been a late night - those of us who went to St. Alban's didn't get home til after midnight - and then there were stockings to fill. Anyway, knowing it would be a late night, we had discussed our wake up time earlier on Christmas Eve, but the boys insisted, when Coty requested an 8:00 wake-up call, that we couldn't break tradition. They did not consider, however, that now that they are older and some of them used to college schedules where sleeping is at a premium, that they would find it difficult to wake up without an alarm clock. Andrew, the only one with an alarm clock in his room and coincidentally, the only dissenter from the "stick to tradition" crowd, woke up when his alarm went off at 6:00 (oops, he forgot to reset it from his work wake-up time), but he promptly shut off the alarm and went back to sleep. Sooo, no one woke up again til almost 8:00 and Coty and I enjoyed a bit of sweet conversation, snuggled under the covers on Christmas morning before the tap, tap, tap on our bedroom door and the sleepy faces of boys wishing us a Merry Christmas. One other little tradition is that I always ask if it snowed. This dates back to memories of my brother coming into my room on Christmas morning saying with excitement, whether it had or not, "IT SNOWED!" (Growing up in SC, a white Christmas was a rarely realized but always hoped for dream). Anyway, I have digressed quite a bit! We enjoyed the gift giving and opened presents one by one so we could all enjoy them. That's a tradition, too. We had a really wonderful Christmas breakfast, followed by games of 5 Crowns, the new card game, relaxing together, and getting ready for my family to arrive in the afternoon.

It is really a blessing to be live close enough to spend Christmas day together with my parents and sister's family.


Granddaddy and Mamaliz


Jonathan and Joseph, the oldest and youngest grandchildren on the DuBose side

Boxing Day, December 26, was quiet and peaceful, except for Andrew who had to work at a very busy Panera and Thomas who ended up working a double shift at Steak 'n Shake when someone didn't show up for work! Later in the day, we had a wonderful dinner with the Mickens. What a good cook Catherine is!

December 27 is Thomas's birthday. This has been a good year for him. He finished high school, traveled to Burkina Faso, worked hard, enjoyed his friends, started college, and had a very successful first semester. He loves Covenant and has good new friends there and did quite well in all his classes. He's eager for the next semester and his mom is quite pleased that he enjoyed his Biology class so much that he is going to take the second semester of Introductory Bio! I've loved hearing him discuss aerobic respiration, the fluid mosaic model, and other topics that only a biologist mother would love. Yes, those discussions float my boat! Anyway, Happy 19th Birthday, Tommy (that's his Covenant name - I'm used to seeing it on his email, but I don't think I can ever really call him that).




Also yesterday, Coty's folks, Bapa and Grammie, and two of the cousins, Amber and Gray (not siblings), arrived. I have NO idea how late all the cousins were up last night, but only one of the boys has made an appearance yet this morning. We are looking forward to the weekend with them and expect lots of funny "remember when" stories and probably plenty of games. Family times are sweet!

The Light has Come!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-14

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel! from our family to yours!

Gifts in abundance

31. Caroling and seeing the smiles on faces of people who haven't heard real live Christmas carolers for years.

32. A new BEST cookie of the year - Brown sugar sandwich cookies - YUM!

33. Knitting gifts and the joy of giving them.

34. Being drawn back again and again when I get distracted and wander into sweet morning communion by my faithful God.

35. My dear oldest friend, Teresa, and the joy of instant connection and deep conversation and long running love.

36. Boys home.

37. Receiving thoughtful gifts from friends who know me well - who would think I would delight in a book that explains botanical Latin but one who knows her friend. Thank you, dear heart, C.

38. Beautiful craftsmanship in a simple crochet hook. Thank you A and D.

39. The anticipation of seeing family members open gifts.

40. A cold bright morning.

41. Bread baking.

42. Family coming.

Done!

If you have a high school senior, you know that this is application season. I am VERY HAPPY to report that my work on Andrew's applications is done! As a home school parent, there's a lot I have to write and compile in the college admissions process. This is now the fourth time I've put together a transcript complete with course descriptions, written the type of evaluation that a high school counselor would write, explained our reasons for home schooling and our methods of evaluation, and signed my name on numerous forms. It has gotten easier each time. Unlike our other three who have already gone through this process, Andrew is applying to more schools and applying to several schools that use the Common Application. I like the Common Application (thank you FU, DC, and WC). It makes my life easier since I only have to write everything once. He still has one essay to complete, but I'm finished...at least for another couple of years!

Here in honor of the application process are some real essay gaffes from the book, Essays That Will Get You Into College:

Mt. Elgon National Park is well known for its rich deposits of herds of elephants.

I've been a strong advocate of the abomination of drunk driving.

He was a modest man with an unbelievable ego.

The outdoors is two dimensional, challenging my physical and mental capabilities.

In the spring, people were literally exploding outside.

Playing the saxaphone lets me develop technique and skill which will help me in the future, since I would like to become a doctor.

For almost all involved in these stories, premature burial has had a negative effect on their lives.

It's good to have a few chuckles along the way. Andrew,and his proofreader are just hoping we haven't missed any wild gaffes in anything he's written so far!

Made by little hands, now grown big

This sweet little nativity set sits on my kitchen windowsill. Erin made it years ago, her little hands gluing fabric and twisting pipe cleaners on bare wood clothespin dolls to fashion Mary, Joseph, wise men and shepherds. It means a lot to me this year, this simple set made by little hands now grown big. My daughter, once a beautiful determined little girl, is now a beautiful strong woman and wife.



Erin and Luke will not be with us this Christmas. They are celebrating in their rural New York home. I can almost smell the fresh-cut tree and homemade cookies. Tonight, a cheese ball, made from a recipe my mom always used, will show up at their barn Christmas party. And on Christmas day, sweet potato casserole and angel bars will grace the table they share with dear friends. Home traditions, especially celebration foods, travel across the miles and into the next generation.



We will miss our dear ones like crazy, but how very thankful I am for a daughter and son-in-law who have established themselves in a church and community. Erin will sing duets in church on Christmas Eve. Coila Church, a place of blessing for our children, will be blessed that night. I am happy to share this daughter, a gift of God to me, with others this year. Merry Christmas, Coila, Higher Ground, and all of you who have embraced Erin and Luke in your hearts this last year and a half. Hug 'em long and tight for me!

Christmas poems

I have made a new friend this year. I was introduced to Luci Shaw by Bonnie. Then Amber loaned me her copy of the little book Accompanied by Angels: Poems of the Incarnation. It is a lovely collection of poems that Mrs. Shaw has written to her friends for more than sixty years.

Announcement
by Luci Shaw

Yes, we have seen the studies, sepia strokes
across yellowed parchment, the fine detail
of hand and breast and the fall of cloth -
Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Titian, El Greco,
Roualt - each complex madonna plotted at last
on canvas, layered with pigment, like the final
draft of a poem after thirty-nine roughs.

But Mary, virgin, had no sittings, no chance
to pose her piety, no novitiate for body or
for heart. The moment was on her unaware:
the Angel in the room, the impossible demand,
the response without reflection. Only one
word of curiosity, echoing Zechariah's How?
yet innocently voiced, without request for proof.
The teen head tilted in light, the hand
trembling a little at the throat, the candid
eyes, wide with acquiescence to shame and glory -
"Be it unto me as you have said."

My maternal grandmother, Mom, also wrote Christmas poems. She composed a poem for the Christmas card that she and my grandfather sent out each year. A few years ago, my mother compiled the poems into a book for me and I have been re-reading Mom's poems the last few days. Here is the one written in 1959.

The Gift
by Lila Craig

Just a tiny Babe in a manger,
But how could we possibly know
The infinite love of a Father God
Had he never told us so -
Coming to know our weakness,
Our weariness, pain or loss,
Bringing the gift of endless love,
Forgiveness upon a cross?

How could we know the one great Gift
His never-ending life,
Unless, as man, He has shared our world,
Conquered its toil and strife --
Forever a Light in the darkness
Forever a Guide and Stay,
Leading us gently onward
To His eternal day?

He is the Gift of Christmas --
His Presence the treasure rare,
Forgiving Love and Life and Light
Entrusted to our care,
Until the glow reflected,
Illumines every race
And "Peace on earth" we chorus,
United before His face.

I am appreciating the way poetry focuses my thoughts and heart this year as I seek to slow down in these remaining days of Advent. All of the boys are home, my shopping is done, I have baked cookies and fruitcake and planned menus, the tree is up and decorated, lights twinkle around the front door and out on the back porch. Even the air has turned colder and it feels more like Christmas. The next few days are for family, friends, music, reading, reflection, and celebration.

Still here

Yes, I'm still here. I've been writing in fits and starts. There are five saved draft posts but nothing finished. Life is busy and the muse seems rather silent. I think it takes more stillness than I've had lately in order to write much. But, just to keep up with what's been going on since Joel's birthday...

Matthew got his braces on. When I turn the palatal expander one crank every morning I feel like I am torturing Matthew, but he is very patient.



Thomas got home from his first semester at Covenant. He did very well and is looking forward to another semester after a nice, long break at home:



We celebrated my dad's 81st birthday. Happy Birthday to Grammie (Coty's mom), too. They were born on the same day, same year, same state, different city.



The oldest...



and the youngest among us...



and the whole gang...



and finally, Jonathan got home from snowy Boston. He now has only one more semester at Gordon and then????? Egypt? Israel? India? Stay tuned!

On another note, we got noticed by Bernie Dekoven, author of Junkyard Sports for my October post on Chunky Baseball. Bernie quoted from my description of the boys' latest made-up game on both Junkyard Sports and DeepFUN. If you're looking for some great game ideas, check 'em out. Matthew and Joel were particularly pleased with the recognition, since they are the incredibly creative game inventors around here.

Happy Birthday, Joel!

My youngest turns 13 today. I can hardly believe it. Happy birthday, Joel!