Christmas Memories
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Joshua blogs about celebrating the winter solstice by singing carols and remembering Christmas past. One of my best memories of Christmas takes place at Father Joseph’s Christmas party on the Sunday following Christmas. His family celebrates the season with equal helpings of European atmosphere and genuine family traditions that could come from nowhere but middle America — such as reading The Best Christmas Pagaent Ever every year. I had hoped last year to spend a great deal of my Christmas leave with his family, specifically his eldest daughter, to the point of even buying plane tickets to and from Indianapolis. That turned out to be premature of me, and friends in Kentucky drove three hours to retrieve me and get me back to Indy.
I just spent the weekend with my parish family at Saint Athanasius parish in Kentucky, and I miss them dearly. I received some wonderful gifts, such as the icon of Saint Nicholas, Help of Mariners which I mentioned in a recent post. I also got right with God, whose loving character always seems to be especially clear to me when I’m there.
Monday night was especially cool. Carie Maria hosted a bunch of single college and career age folk at her home with lenten fare, after which we watched Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and then read poetry. I must make special mention of Joy and Lauren.
Lauren is the daughter of my parish priest, and I have known her for almost eleven years. When I left for the Navy, she was looking at colleges to attend as she finished her senior year of high school. She is now in the middle of her sophomore year at the University of Kentucky. She has always been very mature for her age, and she continues to develop into a very interesting woman.
Joy began attending St A just after I left, so I am just becoming acquainted with her. She is full of life and mystery. She is or was studying at Asbury Seminary, but she was recently hoping to get a job as a railroad engineer. She plays banjo in a bluegrass band. She sounds about as eclectic as me.
Whenever I am home, I always feel that I do not have enough time. Perhaps I can convince my parents to move to Nicholasville, so that I don’t have to divide my time between two locales every time I take some leave.
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2 Responses to “Christmas Memories”
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December 22nd, 2005 at 5:26 pm
This Christmas will be full of good memories for me as well; dinner at Carie’s, Akathist with St. John of Kronstadt, and game day at Church certainly not being the least. It is a pleasure to have begun an acquaintance with you.
December 22nd, 2005 at 11:38 pm
Basil, its always good to have you home and always hard to see you go. I’m grinning about the move the parents to Nich. idea. Good luck with that. I didn’t really get to talk to you much while you were here, but it was good to see you and hear you talking with others. Enjoy your family time and Merry Christmas.