Getting in the Spirit

Since my last post, our friend and colleague here at First Church, Vicki Forfa, lost her struggle with pancreatic cancer and died at the age of 44 on December 6. She had been in the hospital since the week of Thanksgiving, so Advent has been a time of sorrow this year rather than anticipation. (This photo is my tribute to Vicki who was instrumental in creating these scarecrow dancers for Pittsfield's annual "Hay Man" festival this fall.)

To help us get into the spirit of Christmas, James and I braved a predicted ice storm to make a trip to New York City this past weekend and spend a couple of days with our daughter and son-in-law, Jesse and Mike. The ice storm fortunately spared us (although many others in the region are still without electricity from downed trees and power lines), and we made it to the train and back without any problems. The weather cleared up on Friday, so we decided to spend the day just walking around midtown Manhattan, letting the lights and colors and holiday excess fill a little of the emptiness in our hearts. My photos from the weekend are posted in the slide show at the bottom of the page.

Yesterday James went to pick up the dog from the kennel and came home with the dog and a Christmas tree! We'd hoped to make an occasion of cutting a tree this year, now that we're back in the North Country with lots of Christmas tree farms around. But with everything that's been going on, it became clear that we wouldn't have time to go tree hunting. So James grabbed one at the nursery down the street before they were all sold out. We'll decorate it tonight, after eating pumpkin soup that I'm making from autumn decor leftovers. A tree with lights and ornaments, and that great pine aroma—it's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas.