Christmas in these Latitudes

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Saturday 27 December...and we're racing through the last couple days of 2008. This post is particularly for my friends and readers of a more Northern Clime(ie..Scotland, England, Colorado, Carolinas and Virginia) I thought I would give you a glimpse into our deep winter at 26 degrees latitude South. Some of us replace sleet and snow with coconuts and sand. It will be 85 degrees here today. There is a downside to this...I still have to cut the grass every week.

Tilena and I were on the patio having coffee at 8 this morning and yes, we were wearings shorts, t-shirts, and no shoes at all. The birds were crowded around the feeder making a general ruckus. I had to smile to myself as I watched a common scene of nature. Birds (as humans) are generally dignified in appearance and behavior. But introduce them to welfare and watch the brawl begin. My birdfeeder is the mainstage for the WWF of the bird world. We've seen some great smackdowns develop on the ground just under the dispenser. Somehow, those big tropical blackbirds are always the first to discover the freebees. They have a great squabble among themselves until the heavyweights drop by drawn in by all the commotion. The pigeons just come shoving through and push everybody back. The mocking birds and scrub jays dart in and out fearlessly amidst the tumult snatching up seeds in mid air. The whole scene just reeks of Wal-Mart shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving. Pepper and Bowden just delight in bowling up into this free for all and watching feathers fly.

The feathers floating on the breeze in turn reminded me again of the days of the year drifting away. Time is getting away and there's no way to hold it back. I'm learning more and more to relish every moment...to squeeze every drop of joy from every tick of the clock. I've spent so much of my life complaining about Tilena being slow and making us late for everything we go to. It has occurred to me lately though, I'd rather be late with her than be on time without her. As a matter of fact, I'd rather be in jail with her than free with anybody else in the world. The kids will all drift away. Christy is long on her own, Ryan in college and slowly spreading his wings. Nick is a senior and spends more time away than at home. It will soon be down to just me and Tilena. I'm sure she dreads that more than me. She taught me patience among so much else. She just made me a better man. I hope I live long enough to make her effort worth her time, because it took so long for me to learn how to be a husband and father. I don't think I would have put up with me this long. And all the time spent learning the curve glided on past. Learning is the most expensive lesson because it spends time. There are days I want to put my foot out and stop the time from spinning away. It seems like this old ball we're riding on just keeps spinning faster and faster and sometimes I want to get off...you know, just catch my breath and think things through. Maybe cling to some of these moments a bit longer. I dove underneath the tree on Christmas Morning in 1966 and when I looked up I was a grandpa.

How do I ingrain into my kids that they are living away their lives? They expend so much time and energy looking forward to and eagerly running for the future. The song of our lives is playing away and there is no replay button. The artist only gave us so many notes to sing. I've learned not to say "I can't wait until"...to do that is to wish my life away. I do look forward to a lot of things, but the older I get, the more time I spend looking back. At my age, there is really only one more great event to attend, and my Creator alone knows when that will be.

The boys are out doing their own thing today. Ryan is off fishing. He and his friends camped out on the river last night. I guess they will stay again tonight. Nick just headed off to Palm beach with a couple of his friends.....gotta go spend those gift cards. I've been out taking down the Christmas Lights...another sign of the time creeping by. Tilena is cleaning house. I try to stay out of her line of sight. If she sees me, she will give me a chore to do. Looks like I got too much sun this morning too. Thats not too hard for me to do. We're just getting everything in order. We'll be going up to visit Emma Grace in Savannah next week and it's good to come home to an orderly house. Pepper will be going with us, but a baby sitter will be staying here with Bowden.

Well my friends. I pray God has richly blessed you this year and this season. 2009 stands at the door.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Feliz Navidad from South Florida