This has been a quiet week in the high desert with not much to speak about. Well, Kelly put her knee out at church, and Simone’s recovery from her hip surgery is going well. Samantha is as busy as a one armed paper hanger cooking for the Baptist on Main Christmas Extravaganza dinner. My neighbors are in heavy competition for the best Christmas 2021 yard decorations. It hardly seems the same town as last year, when the entire population counted the days until 2020 was over and done.
Looking for a weekend adventure, I turned to the local “Busy As Bees Facebook Page”. I’m not sure about your town, but every upcoming activity is posted there. Having boycotted Facebook from its inception, VST and I never created pages. Private people, we decided that if someone needed to know, they’d need to call, and we stuck with that philosophy. There are very, very few people in this world that have.
Anyway, one of our city’s commissioners, who happens to be an acquaintance of mine, posted a nice little video on the town’s public site. Today’s the day. The biggest thing next to 4th of July, so I better make this quick. I need to decided on my attire for the day not wanting to miss a thing.
AT 7, a local service group is offering a $5 breakfast inside the firehouse. On so many levels, this doesn’t happen on the streets of many big cities in the US of A. But, in my little town, the fire station has many uses. On 9/11, it shades the public from the sun as We Remember. It houses gleaming rigs that children can still walk right up to while dreaming of the day they’ll be a fireman. We have the cutest firemen in the state by the way. I mean that in the strictest grandmotherly sense.
After the breakfast, there are several places in town in which local merchants are gathering to showcase their products. The boutique girls are offering hot cocoa or mimosa’s for your shopping pleasure. Late in the afternoon, the locals will roll through town in a Christmas parade. After that, the town tree will be lit. Rounding out the perfect day, BINGO will be offered at the Senior Center.
Next week, Baptist on Main is holding our 8th annual Christmas dinner plated and served by the youngsters of the church under the watchful eyes of the elders.
Tri Tip with special sauce.
Roasted potatoes
Roast carrots
Green salad
Freshly baked rolls
Too many deserts to list, including one Sugar-Free Apple Pie baked by my very own Germanic fingers.
Several women have volunteered to each decorate one Christmas Table. I need to decide the theme of mine. Having so many pretty things to use, it will be fun to share them with my church friends at such an beautiful affair.
I’ve already got the cutest little black dress to wear that night, along with new suede pumps that are on their way. To say I’m excited about my first Christmas with my new church friends is an understatement. I was led to this group of people, delightful in every way.
While attempting to describe my church friends to someone the other day, in disbelief, they looked at me as if I was delusional. In this day and age, it seems impossible there could be a kind, loving, and thoughtful group of like minded people that want to get together and spend time worshiping with a Mission Statement of:
Whatever it takes to know Jesus and to make Jesus known.
Just ordinary people trying to live their best lives quietly in our humble little town, while keeping prayer chains open for members that are under the weather or having a rough time. Everyone who enters the door is greeted with the same good energy. I’ve been observing this since April. I attend the choir practice before weekly bible study just to hear the beautiful old hymns a second time. I’ve listened to the Pastor as he wept about his experiences of almost losing his beloved wife just a month ago. There is nothing more real in my life than this place on Main Street. They don’t know a lot about me or Winterpast. They haven’t met Oliver. They don’t know whether I could give $1.00 or $10,000. We simply meet to praise God and learn the Word. Through that, we’ve become friends.
My town is the secret place people are wishing they could find. It heart is hidden well behind sandblasted buildings built in the mid-1900’s. Behind pot-holed streets that will never be fixed and tacky truck stops and casinos. But, all that doesn’t define the beauty of a town. My town has heart. I’m sure yours does, too. Look for your own town Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. With any luck its hours from right this minute. Go. Take some tissues. Be ready to sing some carols. Christmas is a most beautiful time of year.
I’ll be back Monday.