Woke up around 9am after a not so good nights sleep ( awake at 3am wondering if the turkey had gone off- too much imagination- it hadn't of course, but that kept me awake until 6:30....)... shared breakfast as a family before Emma went off to work and Jo, Jon and Chris headed out to the morning service- for the first time in years I did not go to church on Christmas day...but drank coffee and watched a morning service on T.V..... it was different....
... I pottered around a bit while Tim went off for a bike ride, and then we took off to the beach for a walk, it was good to be out, but not photograph weather, dull and grey skies matched the mud in the Wash- even the birds seemed to have stayed away.
Home and a bit of lunch, we are saving dinner and presents etc until Emma gets home at 7pm ish....
I am trying to catch the Christmas day atmosphere, but it is eluding me, still feel like I am walking through a fog- I guess I am writing to remind myself I'm here, to keep from curling in on myself and disappearing- as Sharmie one of our older (96) and wiser members says- "a person wrapped up in them-self makes a small parcel"... so I am trying to join in with the cooking and celebrating, trying to think and pray for others who I know are in far far worse circumstances than me, those who are alone, or in pain, those with no food, no shelter, no family of friends...for these folk I pray Lord have mercy....
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
