Janet's Blog

It seems like such a long time ago, when the celebration of Christmas was new to me, and so exciting, and sparkly, and holy. And yet, in some ways, it just seems like a short time ago, when I posed in my red velveteen skirt in front of Grandma's tinsel-covered Christmas tree in Bloomfield, my newest doll in one arm, with my other hand resting possessively on the handlebars of my new (to me), light blue tricycle. Little Danny had something new to ride, too, a rocking horse, possibly made by Grandpa in his basement workshop. His left hand was poised on the horse, ready to ride into the sunset, sixgun pointing at some invisible villain. He was even dressed for the job, just like every other little boy who lived in the late 1950's. This is the only Christmas picture I have from my childhood. Black and white photos, like this one, were only taken on special occasions and, even then, we weren't guaranteed a good picture, since we had to wait and see what developed, weeks later, w...

May your Christmas be merry, and your New Year, better than the last one. It began on Christmas morning, when baby Jesus was born  In a stable there, in Bethlehem, that sacred, starry morn,  When the shepherds came to worship, and the angels hailed his birth:  Glory in the highest! God’s son has come to Earth.  Sing glory….Sing glory…. 2020 has been quite a year for our family, filled with a little good, a lot of bad, and a whole lot of ugly, or so it seems. I'll get the bad and ugly out of the way first:  In January, Meagan had a late, first trimester miscarriage, just a few days after she had publicly announced her pregnancy.  In February, my mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and mild dementia, and was hospitalized, and then moved to Heritage Care Center in Fairbury.  In March, Levi began Zooming instead of attending school, and Victoria had to stop volunteering at Minatare Prestart, because the school, like all of the others in our area, c...

It was just a year ago when I flew to Wisconsin to welcome WilliamTyler to the world. He weighed four and a half pounds the last time I held him. I never dreamed that a whole year would go by without another chance to hold him again. Will doesn't look so tiny in this picture. Closeups can be deceiving . But when his Mom, Erin, held him, his size--or lack of it--was evident. I'm not alone. Social distancing has wreaked havoc with in-person relationships for almost everyone. Often, we speak to other people through our masks, from six feet away. Or, we rely on modern technology to communicate through Facetime and Zoom.  I have been so thankful for the ability to use Zoom for Levi's parent/teacher conferences and my grandkids' piano and dance recitals, and even for worship services last spring. I get to Facetime with Erin and Will regularly, so I can see how he is growing, and listen to him talk, and observe his wobbly walking. I would have loved to wish Will a "Happy ...

When life seems dreary, extra lighting helps. On an overcast day, we turn on extra lights in the house, and light the fireplace. During a tedious year, like this one has been, colorful Christmas lights have the potential to lift spirits. When I was a little girl, it was great fun to climb into the car just to look at the Christmas lights as Dad toured the town. Back then, lights were vibrant blue or brilliant red, or multicolored, twinkling strings that vied for our attention. The best displays were those that covered the eaves and every tree in someone's snowy yard, or even a whole neighborhood. Some yards boasted spotlighted, wooden cutouts of Santa and his sleigh, or intricately painted nativity scenes, but there was no front yard animation then, no accompanying music, and no oversized, blow-up figures.  This year, the Christmas lights in my neighborhood have been amazing! In their efforts to counteract the dullness of our current Covid season, many of my neighbors put up their ...