Wit
This morning, Jonathan pulled the shower curtain aside to get into the tub. Perched among the shampoo bottles and lodged against the towel rack stood his vanity mirror, just at eye level. One of the kids had left it available in case he wanted to shave (!)
Then Jonathan reached down to remove the plastic container turned upside down on the bottom of the tub. When he lifted it, a large amount of water streamed out. It had been held there all night by the force of suction. We had a good laugh.
Times Have Changed
The preschoolers at our church attend chapel services once a week. The girl chosen as line leader took my hand as we walked to the sacristy to collect the candle lighter. Then she and I lit the candles to mark the beginning of the service.
In my day, only boys served as acolytes. The first time I ever lit candles in church was at the initial chapel service I conducted a few years ago. Now every week, I am photographed with the preschool line leader as we light candles together.
Question
Jonathan didn't get to sleep until 1:30 am. I woke at 4:00 am and eventually got out of bed to write Christmas cards. There wasn't much overlap time for the two of us!
I remember from my childhood that my dad burned the midnight oil and my mom rose before dawn. Does anyone know if this is a gender difference?
Kentucky the Cat
Yesterday, Kentucky became a hunter. Jonathan heard a mouse behind some bags, and when he moved them, the creature darted quickly across the floor. But our dachsund Kentucky reacted even faster, and in a split second had caught and killed the mouse.
At least our new cat doesn't dismember his victims. I'd have a hard time with that.
Ugh!
The child doesn't like his prescription eyeglasses and throws them away. We hear that they are "lost." Our insurance won't pay for a new pair for another year.
The bigger issue than the cost is the discipline.
Lucy
On December 13, people in Scandinavia celebrate Santa Lucia Day. Since my 50th birthday, my interest in things Swedish has escalated, so I explored the history of this saint.
Lucia held firmly to her faith during the reign of Diocletian, when Christians in the Roman Empire were often executed for their beliefs. According to legend, she and her mother would go out at night to distribute food to persecuted Christians, carrying candles to light their way. Lucia refused to marry a non-believer, and instead gave away her dowry to the poor. Her spurned fiance turned her in to the authorities. She suffered much, including the gouging of her eyes, before being martyred in Sicily in 304 AD.
The name "Lucia" means light, and her feast day landed on the winter solstice (in past centuries when Scandinavian countries used the Julian calendar). In the dark mid-winter of Sweden, celebrations of light resonate deeply. Girls dressed in white robes, with a red sash and a crown of candles on their heads, process through the home, delivering breakfast to their parents. The event marks the beginning of the Christmas season.
The breakfast includes "Lusse-buns" made with saffron and often decorated with two raisins (for Lucia's eyes). Yesterday I drove around our area looking for saffron, which I finally found at Whole Foods. It's the most expensive spice in the world, handpicked in Spain and costing $300 per ounce. Luckily, my recipe called for only a pinch, so I got out of the store for $5.
We didn't ask our girls to wear candles on their heads, but several years ago Rachel chose a Lucia doll. Our pastor and his wife took Rachel, Sarah, and me to the American Girl store in downtown Chicago and allowed the girls to choose whichever doll they wanted. This photo of Rachel's Lucia doll was published in the _Lutheran Witness_ in 2008.
Day Off
It's Monday, and I have the energy to be up and about, rather than sleeping. That's a gift!
Quiet
This afternoon, I arrived at church at 2:15 pm. There was no one else in the entire building. After making preparations for the children's Christmas program, I sat at the piano in the silence. In about an hour, the room will be filled with over 400 people watching their children proclaim the Christmas story.
The hush before the event was broken by some grandparents coming early for good seats. The fun has begun . . .
A Turn of Phrase
Winter arrived this morning with a white dusting and the joyful shrieks of children. Kentucky, our very short-haired dachsund, mostly dives under the covers of our bed to catch as much warmth as possible. I miss watching Dakota, a husky to his core, cavort in the first snowfall.
On rare occasion, I still hear hints of Ukrainian in the children's speech, mostly now in the words they choose. The most recent example:
"The wind today is heavy!"
Photos VI: Explanation
I didn't have much time to write yesterday. Here's the explanation of David's photos:
Clothing in the orphanage was not assigned to a particular child. After a kid wore an outfit for a week, the staff washed the clothes on the weekend. Then the kids would nab their favorite items as soon as they became available. When we met David, he wore the matching pink shirt and shorts for several days. Sarah told us (quite sorely) that those were her favorites! (In Ukraine, traditional colors for boys and girls are more on the lines of dark for boys and light for girls, so the pink and blue concept was foreign to them.)
The judge assigned our court appointment for August 17, 2005, and everyone dressed up for it. The caretakers brought out the dress clothing reserved for such occasions, and the children looked very nice. But the adoption could not be finalized on August 17 (that's another long story), and we waited for hours on August 18 for documents that the judge required from Kyiv. He didn't allow faxed papers, but needed the actual documents in his hands.
At about 3:00 pm on August 18, the courier gave us the necessary papers, our facilitator telephoned the judge's office, and suddenly we had another appointment. The children were hastily plucked from their groups to get ready, but 6-year old David didn't have time to don his dress clothes. That's why our family photo, taken moments after the adoption was finalized, features David in his favorite pink shorts.
Photos VI
The Feast of St. Nicholas
Or more accurately, the EVE of the Feast of St. Nicholas--
With candy, fruit, and nuts in everyone's shoes.
Being a warmer fall than usual, the foods were mostly in tennis shoes, not snow boots.
The smile on Peter's face would have made St. Nicholas proud!
Photos V
Sarah is 13 now, and very much the young lady. But in 2005, 7-year-old Lena looked down from the top level of a fire escape at the orphanage. This is one of my favorite photos of her. What vitality!
Photos IV
Whether working at a servant event, or escorting young women at a "wedding gala" in the church basement, it's important to dress the part!
The Tin Woman
A cortisone injection in the shoulder. Four Aleve tablets a day. Stretching exercises. A prescription for more physical therapy.
My joints feel well-oiled. And my spirits are lifted.
The second opinion today said no surgery for the foreseeable future!
Photos III
From: Mary Stahlke
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 11:43 AM
To: Stahlke, Jonathan
Subject: Question
No hurry, but what's the story behind this photo?From: Stahlke, Jonathan
To: Mary Stahlke
Sent: Wed, Nov 30, 2011 2:40 pm
Subject: RE: Question
In the days with Peter in Kiev in 2008, while we were waiting for the flight home, we went to Independence Square where all of the street bands were, where we went in 2005 with the five other kids the night before leaving. [MS--Independence Square was the site of the Orange Revolution in 2004, when at times a million people gathered to protest.]
Peter and I went and there was a falconer. For a price, you could get a picture. For less of a price, you could get a picture on your own camera. We did it. It might even have been the day before we left, but we were down there in the evening, and this looks like daytime. After we bought the plane tickets, the day before we left, we went out for “coffee” at a nice little bakery at the top of the hill (not at the square), and then went down to the square for a little farewell thing . . . . 
