Filling Your Lamp

So today I was driving back to work, and my car died. The battery lightw as flashing, and then the radio turned off and the car turned off. That was lovely. It was wet and rainy (very very wet and rainy) and I had been at an Eye appointment earlier. My eyes were still a little fuzzy, and I was in flats, trying desperately to push the car over to the side of the road. I was trying so hard to push with one hand, and steer with the other. Whew! That was tough work. I was just hoping that one of the oh, say, 30? cars that passed by would stop and help me at least get out of the lane instead of just going around me. Fortunately, I screamed and growled loudly enough that a man came over to help me. I was SO grateful. It got me thinking. You can have your battery jumped, but that doesn't always guarantee you'll make it. Then I started thinking about the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Someone can give you a "jump" of oil, but if you don't do what it takes to keep that full (whether it's keeping the car on to make sure the battery recharges, or replacing the battery, or fixing some underlying problem like the alternator which is sucking all of the power out of the batter) then you are no better off. Faster than you know, you're back to empty. Besides, there isn't always someone around who can "jump" you. It's important that every day we do those things that keep filling our spiritual lamps, to keep driving around on the power we've stored up, so it can continue to grow stronger. Initially, someone can give us a push, but that's where it ends. It's up to us to do the rest. 'Tis the season! Oh, and if you see some chick in the middle of the road trying to push her car over (whether it's raining or not), don't just think someone else will help her, STOP and help. I will next time! Chances are, she's been out there in the soaking wet weather trying to push her car for the last 15 minutes or so. Merry Christmas, and in the immortal words of Charles Dickens, "God bless us, everyone."

New Nephew!!!

Today I got a new nephew! My brother Jeff and his wife Emily get to bring home a little boy named Zackary Alan! Since we are going to see them for Christmas, I will be spending plenty of time holding a snuggly little baby Zackary. Oh, and today also happens to be my niece Megan's birthday! Yay! What a special day.

Winter Wonderland

So yesterday it snowed a LOT here! I guess that's what you can expect here. I think there must be a lot of excited ski and snowboard enthusiasts. Since I've never done either, I'm not terribly excited about the snow. I HATE driving in the snow. I'm terrified of the icy roads, and other drivers that are probably either new to snow, or aren't as concerned about my life and car as getting to their destinations as quickly as they can. Anyway, when I left the house at 10:00 yesterday morning to teach my violin lessons, I had to scrape about 6 inches off of my car before I could go anywhere. I have to admit--there is some really pretty scenery around here. I think it's really pretty when the trees are heavy with snow and their branches bend under the stress of the thick snow. Unfortunately, the new management at our apartment complex was not very quick to get things plowed, and when they did get around to it, they didn't clear it well either. Very very icy! In January this year, I slipped and hurt my tailbone, and in February, I nearly slipped all the way down our stairs. Hopefully, I'll survive with minimal injuries this year. Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman...